BENEFITS

FRIDAY

An Evening of Hope Cabaret, dinner and concert with Zing! to benefit Maine Parkinson Society’s Respite Fund. Woodlands Club, Falmouth. www.maineparkinsonsociety.org. 6 p.m.

Pedal for Peace, bike ride to benefit Bpeace. Minimum $250 in pledges requested. Frontier Cafe, Cinema & Gallery, Brunswick. bpeace.donorpages.com/PedalforPeace2010. Kick off with presentations and music, 7 p.m. ($5 suggested donation) Friday; ride Saturday.

SATURDAY

Woofstock, pet festival with demonstrations, dog fashion show and more; benefits local animal organizations. Round Top Farm, Damariscotta. Donation. www.woofstockmaine.com. 9 a.m. (gates open).

Good Old-Fashioned Variety Show, benefits Monday Meal program, Windham Assembly of God. Donation. www.windhamag.org. 7 p.m.

Remembrance Concert with the Alumni Band and the Italian Heritage Center Concert Band. Monetary and non-perishable food item donations will go to Saco Food Pantry. First Parish Congregational Church, Saco. 7 p.m.

Music Cruise, electronic music with local DJs to benefit WMPG (90.9 and 104.1 FM). Casablanca Cruises, Portland. $20. www.wmpg.org. Noon.

Walk to Defeat ALS, Back Cove, Portland. www.alsanne.org. 9 a.m. (registration), 10:30 a.m. (walk).

KAT Walk, in honor of Kimberly Ann Tudor; benefits Brain Aneurysm Foundation. Back Cove, Portland. www.kat-walk.org. Noon (registration), 1 p.m. (walk).

Dance for the Stowes, benefit dance to help Stowe family with medical expenses. Amvet Post 6, New Gloucester. $8. www.facebook.com/event.php?eid. 7 p.m.

Horsemen’s Day, harness racing and more; benefits park restoration. Cornish Trotting Park, Cornish. $3. 625-3281. Noon.

Walk for Water, benefits World Concern. Greely High School, Cumberland Center. $10 to $50. sites.google.com/site/2010walk. 3 to 6 p.m.

Zing! Fling, dance party to benefit Pen Bay Healthcare’s children’s health program. Rockport Opera House. $25; $40 per pair. pbmc.org/zingfling. 6:30 to 10:30 p.m.

Walk for Recovery, in celebration of National Alcohol and Drug Recovery Month. Catholic Charities Maine Counseling Services, Portland. $10/donation. www.ccmaine.org/recovery.12:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

SUNDAY

Komen Maine Race for the Cure, for breast cancer awareness, Payson Park, Portland. $10 to $25. www.komenmaine.org. 7:30 a.m. (registration), 10 a.m. (race start).

Walk for Recovery, in celebration of National Alcohol and Drug Recovery Month, St. Francis Recovery Center, Auburn. $10/donation. www.ccmaine.org. 1 p.m.

MONDAY

Project Linus Blanket Day, make or bring your own reversible blanket for donation. St. Maximilian Kolbe Church, Scarborough. 284-5606. 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Habitat for Humanity Builds for the Birds, birdhouse auction and gala benefiting Habitat for Humanity. 7 Rivers Maine, Winter Street Center, Bath. www.habitat7rivers.org. 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

FAIRS/FESTIVALS

TODAY

Capriccio, Festival of the Arts with music, lectures, readings, performances and several special events. Various locations, Ogunquit. Various times today to Sept. 19.

International Seaplane Fly-In, float plane competitions, educational exhibits and more, Moosehead Lake, Greenville. www.seaplanefly-in.org. Various times today through Sunday.

Lewiston/Auburn Greek Festival, Greek folk music and dancing, food, more. 155 Hogan Road, Lewiston. Free. 783-6795. 4 to 8 p.m. today and Friday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday.

Acadia Night Sky Festival, workshops, nighttime boat cruises, star gazing, more. Various locations, Mount Desert. Various prices. www.nightskyfestival.org. Various times today to Monday.

FRIDAY

Litchfield Fair, exhibits, livestock, pulling events, midway, more. Fairgrounds, Litchfield. $6 adults; $2 seniors ages 65 and older and children ages 12 to 17; free for children under age 12. litchfieldfair.com. Various times Friday to Sunday.

Celebrate Bowdoinham, annual festival with parade, varied activities, entertainment and contests. Waterfront Park, Bowdoinham. Free. www.bowdoinham.com. 6:30 to 10 p.m. Friday; 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday.

Bikefest on the Pier, motorcycle showcase featuring live music, food and vendors. The Pier, Old Orchard Beach. Free. www.oobpier.com/bikefest.html. Friday and Saturday.

Eastport Pirate Festival, ball, parade, lobster boat race, pirate invasion, bed race, music and more. Various locations, Eastport. Most activities are free. www.eastportpiratefestival.com. Various times Friday to Sunday.

SUNDAY

Oxford County Fair, agricultural and pulling events, midway, concerts, crafts and exhibits, harness racing, more. Prices vary per day. Fairgrounds, Oxford. www.oxfordcountyfair.com. Various times Sunday to Sept. 18.

SPECIAL EVENTS

TODAY

Cruise In Night, classic cars from all eras, Charlie Beiggs, Windham. 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Tarot Night, bring your tarot deck, Abrahadabra Oasis, Portland. Free. www.abrahadabra-oto.org. 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

FRIDAY

Black Cat Cabaret, burlesque, Mayo Street Arts, Portland. $5 to $10. www.mayostreetarts.org.8 p.m.

Historical Walking Tour, learn about the 350-year history of Ogunquit. Katie’s Cafe on Shore Road, Ogunquit. $5; free for Ogunquit residents. www.ogunquit.org. 9:30 a.m. Friday, Monday and Wednesday.

SATURDAY

Maine Heritage Day , special exhibitions, live demonstrations and refreshments. Heritage Museum, Falmouth. www.falmouthmehistory.org. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Freeport on Foot, history-related, guided walking tours presented by the Freeport Historical Society. Harrington House, Freeport. $7; $2 ages 12 and younger. www.freeporthistoricalsociety.org. 10 a.m.

Block Party, venues along Congress Street will offer a variety of activities for all ages. Various locations, Portland. Free. www.space538.org. 6 to 9 p.m.

Agape Coffeehouse Music and Movie Night, pasta dinner from 4:30 to 6 p.m. ($5 suggested donation) followed by bluegrass and Southern gospel by Taylors Grove followed by the movie, “To Save a Life.” Movie and music are free. Seacoast Chapel, Saco. www.seacoastchapel.com/agape.

Women in Everyday Life tour, historian Elaine Bradbury will lead hourly tours of the Marrett House focusing on the lives of upper-class rural Maine women. Marrett House, Standish. $4, $5. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Project Linus, holiday book and blanket exhibit with author David Packham Jr. North Windham Union Church, Windham. 284-5606. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Art auction, reception and silent auction. Maine Art Gallery, Wiscasset. $20. 882-7511. 4 p.m.

SUNDAY

Antique paper show, postcards, calendars and other paper collectibles; more than 40 exhibitors. Holiday Inn West, Portland, $4. 828-8065. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Spirits Alive Walking Tours, one-hour ghost tour, Eastern Cemetery, Portland. $4 to $7; free for under age 12. 318-2982. 1:30 p.m.

A Night with Captain Sig and the Hillstrand Brothers, hear stories from the cast of the Discovery Channel’s “Deadliest Catch,” watch a video and take part in a question-and-answer session. Merrill Auditorium, Portland. $34.50 to $42.50. www.porttix.com. 7 p.m.

TUESDAY

Port Veritas, spoken-word series; all ages. North Star Music Cafe, Portland. $2. 699-2994. Second Tuesday Slam, 7 p.m.

FILMS

TODAY

SCOPE, visual arts film series, Space, Portland. $7. www.space538.org. “Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child,” 7:30 p.m.

FRIDAY

Classic Cinema, “The Young Philadelphians” (1959), St. Mary the Virgin Church, Falmouth. Free. 7 p.m.

Travelogue film, “Alaska: RV Adventure of a Lifetime,” Sawyer Memorial Auditorium, Greene. Free. 946-5311. 2 and 7 p.m.

Global Lens Series, touring program of narrative features from around the world. Bates College (Olin Arts Center), Lewiston. $5 per film. “The Night of Truth,” 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Festival runs through Dec. 10.

SATURDAY

“Meet Your Farmer,” film profiles of local farmers, with discussion. Screening is outside. Rising Tide Community Market, Damariscotta. www.risingtide.coop. 7 p.m. Saturday; 2 and 7 p.m. Tuesday,

BOOKS/AUTHORS

TODAY

Alston Chase, author of “Playing God in Yellowstone: The Destruction of America’s First National Park,” presents “The Philosophy of Environmentalism.” University of Maine (Kimball Hall), Machias. Free. 255-1327. 6:30 p.m.

Poetry reading with Danny Glenn and Dennis Lopez, Gulf of Maine Books, Brunswick. Free. 7 p.m.

Donald Janelle, editor of “Geographical Snapshots of North America,” talks about early 19th-century stage coach networks and settlement development in Maine. Curtis Memorial Library, Brunswick. Free. 729-3600. 12:15 p.m.

FRIDAY

Peter Hornby, author of “Winslow Homer in England,” talks about Homer’s work in England. Saco Museum. Free. 283-3861. 6 p.m.

Poetry reading with Alan Jenkins, College of the Atlantic (Gates Center), Bar Harbor. 7 p.m.

TUESDAY

Lunchbox Friends, bring a sandwich; beverage and dessert provided; books will be available for purchase and signing. Falmouth Memorial Library. Free. 781-2351. Jerry Genesio, author of “Portland Neck: The Hanging of Thomas Bird,” noon.

PARTICIPANT DANCE

FRIDAY

Dancing with DJ John, Maplewood Dance Center, Portland. 878-0584. 7 to 11 p.m.

Contradance with Bustopher Jones, Bates College (Chase Hall), Lewiston. $5. www.bates.edu. 8 p.m.; beginner program at 7:30 p.m.

SATURDAY

Celebrate Emergency Responders Dance with music from the 1950s and ’60s, Nasson Community Center, Springvale. $10. 324-5657. 8 p.m.

WEDNESDAY

Ballroom dancing, Maplewood Dance Center, Portland. 878-0584. 7 to 11 p.m.

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