• BENEFITS

TODAY

Festival of Trees, decorated trees, activities, displays and entertainment; benefits local organizations. Westbrook-Warren Congregational Church, Westbrook. Free. 854-9157. 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. today (Canal/Congin School Chorus at 7 p.m.); 10 a.m. to noon, 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Friday (Tips for Charity luncheon at 11:30 a.m.); 10 a.m. to noon Saturday (Mystery Gift Tree at 10 a.m.).

Festival of Trees, co-sponsored by the Buxton Garden Club; donations accepted for the Buxton “Keep the Heat On” fund. Bar Mills Community Church, Buxton. Free. 929-8283. 1 to 8 p.m. today (floral design program at 7 p.m.); 1 to 8 p.m. Friday (theatrical program at 7 p.m.); 1 to 8 p.m. Saturday (Nutcracker tea at noon).

FRIDAY

The Dough Ball, holiday decorations on view, refreshments, music and more; benefits the opera house. Opera House at Boothbay Harbor. $30 at door. 7 p.m.

“Rock the Red Heel,” fashion show benefitting HIV/AIDS awareness, Pearl Lounge, Portland. $10. 210-6555. 8 to 10 p.m.

Community Spelling Bee, for competitors ages 18 and older; benefits the school’s seventh-grade Kieve Leadership Program. Bucksport Middle School. $50 per team; $2 to $3 for spectators. 469-6647. 6:30 to 9 p.m.

SATURDAY

Candy Cane Train, 90-minute ride from Bath to Wiscasset and back to Bath; passengers will meet Santa and his elves, listen to storytellers, sing songs and enjoy hot chocolate and cookies. Benefits the Read With Me Family program and Literacy Volunteers. Bath Train Station. $17. candycanetrain.com. 9 and 11 a.m.; 1 and 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

TUESDAY

Portland Greendrinks, social networking event benefiting Portland Music Foundation, State Theatre, Portland. $5; $2 if you bring your own mug. www.Greendrinks.org. 5:30 to 8 p.m.

• FAIRS/FESTIVALS

TODAY

Festival of Trees, variety of associated activities, Saco Museum. Free. 283-3861. Noon to 8 p.m. today and Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; noon to 5 p.m. Sunday to Wednesday. Gala ($30), 6 to 9 p.m. Friday.

FRIDAY

Christmas Prelude, house tours, music, parades, walking tours, tree lighting and more. Various locations, Kennebunkport. www.christmasprelude.com for schedule. 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

SATURDAY

Holiday Arts and Crafts Fair, Lucid Stage, Portland. www.LucidStage.com. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Christmas Fair, St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, Wiscasset. 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Holiday Festival, music, cookie walk, craft fair, horse and buggy rides, petting zoo, Santa and more. Various locations, Saco. www.sacospirit.com. Noon to 3:30 p.m.

• SPECIAL EVENTS

TODAY

“Holiday Memories,” seasonal readings and music, L/A Arts, Lewiston. $12 at door. 7 p.m. today and Friday.

Holiday Extravaganza, various events featuring musicians, art exhibits, poets and more, Aarhus Gallery, Belfast. www.aarhusgallery.com. Today. Through Dec. 24.

“The Twelve Days of Christmas,” tours of the mansion decked out in holiday splendor; tours are self-guided. Victoria Mansion, Portland. $5-$15; $35 family ticket; free for children under 6. www.victoriamansion.org. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. today to Wednesday. Through Jan. 8.

“1880s Coastal Christmas,” tours of the house decorated for a Victorian Christmas celebration, Harrington House, Freeport. $10. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today, Friday and Monday to Wednesday; 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Through Dec. 19.

“Christmas with the Longfellows,” mid-19th-century holiday celebration with Longfellow House tours and children’s activities, Wadsworth-Longfellow House, Portland. 774-1822. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (last tour leaves at 4 p.m.) today, Friday and Monday to Wednesday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (last tour leaves at 4 p.m.) Saturday (music from 1 to 3 p.m.); noon to 5 p.m. (last tour leaves at 4 p.m.) Sunday.

“Share the Wonder,” seasonal celebration with the Wyeth family features an exhibit of holiday art and artifacts and a large model train set, Farnsworth Art Museum, Rockland. 596-6457. Holiday music with Camden Hills Regional High School Women’s Choir and Chamber Singers, 4 to 5 p.m. today; holiday film favorites for children (reservations requested), 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; holiday music with 14 Strings, 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday and Saturday.

FRIDAY

Sunsplash!, annual holiday arts and crafts show, Bowdoin College (Smith Union), Brunswick.

725-3375. Starts at 10 a.m.

Trees and Trains, historic property decorated for the holidays including a display in the barn of model trains, McLaughlin Garden, South Paris. $3-$5. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday;

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

“A Heartwood Christmas,” staged readings, poetry, storytelling and music, Lincoln Theater, Damariscotta. $8-$20. 563-1373. 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday.

“Mill-ieu,” art exhibits, music, food and theatrical performances, Dana Warp Mill, Westbrook. Free. 591-8126. 6 to 9 p.m.

SATURDAY

The Great Gingerbread Spectacular, display of gingerbread creations, Opera House at Boothbay Harbor. Free. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Storytelling with Vernon Cox, by the campfire on Discovery Patio, L.L. Bean Retail Store, Freeport. Free. 2 and 4 p.m.

Longfellow Family Christmas, family event with crafts, poetry readings, stories and music, Wadsworth-Longfellow House, Portland. Free. www.mainehistory.org. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Santa’s Workshop, photos with Santa, scavenger hunt, art making, parade and more, downtown Bangor. Noon to 4 p.m.

Christmas Craft Show, Augusta Armory. www.

newenglandcraftfairs.com/maine-craft-fairs.html. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Christmas Market at the Garden, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay. Free. 633-4333. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Christmas Magic Arts and Crafts Show with United Maine Craftsmen, University of Southern Maine (Sullivan Gymnasium), Portland. $2.

621-2818. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

PICNIC Holiday Sale, handmade items by local crafters, Maine Irish Heritage Center, Portland. picnicportland.com. Noon to 8 p.m. Saturday; noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Open house, view working layouts and munch on light refreshments, Model Train and Slot Car Shop, York. Free. 363-4830. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

SUNDAY

Holiday open house, Abbe Museum, Bar Harbor. 288-3519. 1 to 4 p.m.

Bath Antiques Show, Bath Middle School. $4. 443-8983. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Holiday Hair Soiree, demonstrations of do-it-yourself holiday hair styles, refreshments and prizes, JCPenney, South Portland. Free. 775-3910. 6 to 8 p.m.

“Christmas in the Barn,” Christmas pageant with live animals, caroling and refreshments, Hartwell’s Shady Maple Farm, Gorham. 892-3769. 1 p.m.

TUESDAY

Knitting Night, knit (or not) while listening to a performance by fiddler Hope Hoffman and her band, Free Grange Music Studio, Bowdoinham. Free. 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday.

“Christmas Past and Present at the Longfellow House,” join the Falmouth Historical Society on a guided tour of the Longfellow House decorated for the holidays. After the tour, go to Ocean View in Falmouth for more tales of local history. Reservations required by Dec. 10. Wadsworth-Longfellow House, Portland. $5. 781-4140. 2 p.m. 

• FILMS

SCOPE, visual arts film series, Space, Portland. $7. www.space538.org. “Herb and Dorothy” (2008), 7:30 p.m. today.

Sagadahoc Preservation’s Dreamland Theater film series, Winter Street Center, Bath. “Sweet Smell of Success” (1957), 7 p.m. today.

Global Lens Film Series, touring program of narrative features from around the world, Bates College (Ronj Coffeehouse), Lewiston. $5. 786-6135. “Shirley Adams” (2009), 8 p.m. Friday; 6 p.m. Monday.

Kids Classics at Dreamland Theater, movies for children, Winter Street Center, Bath. $5/donation. www.sagadahocpreservation.org. “Pinocchio” (1940), 2 p.m. Sunday.

• BOOKS/AUTHORS

TODAY

Chats with Champions Series followed by book signing, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta. Free. www.skidompha.org. Glenna Johnson Smith, “Old Maine Woman: Stories from the Coast to the County,” 10 a.m.

Glenna Johnson Smith, “Old Maine Woman: Stories from the Coast to the County,” author signing and reading, Longfellow Books, Portland. 772-4045. 4 to 6 p.m.

SATURDAY

Ellen Thayer, “My Christmas Surprise,” book signing, Tara Home and Gift, Cape Elizabeth. www.tarahomeandgift.com. 1 to 4 p.m.

Lisa Birnbach, “True Prep,” and Astrid Sheckels, illustrator of “The Fish House Door,” book signing, L.L. Bean Retail Store, Freeport. www.llbean.com. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Astrid Sheckels, “The Fish House Door,” book signing, Poofberry’s Toys, Kennebunk. 967-0400. 3 to 5 p.m.

Dahlov Ipcar, “The Calico Jungle,” book signing, Borders Bookstore, Brunswick. 1 to 3 p.m.

Book signing and reading, Kennebooks, Kennebunk. 967-8282. Seating is limited; reservations recommended. Anita Shreve, “Rescue,” 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday; Robin Hansen, “Ice Harbor Mittens,” 1 p.m. Sunday.

Lynda McCann, “The Mis-Adventures of Tink and Frado,” book signing, Skyline Farm, North Yarmouth. 899-5837. 1 to 4 p.m.

Glenna Johnson Smith, “Old Maine Woman: Stories from the Coast to the County,” author program, Mr. Paperback, Ellsworth. 667-5089. 1 to 3 p.m.

SUNDAY

Ellen Thayer, “My Christmas Surprise,” book signing, Borders Books and Music, South Portland. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

WEDNESDAY

Brown Bag Lecture Series with Neil Rolde, “Maine in the World,” Portland Public Library, Portland. Free; bring your own lunch. 871-1710. Noon to 1 p.m.

• PARTICIPANT DANCE

FRIDAY

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

Contradance, Bates College (Chase Hall), Lewiston. $6. www.bates.edu. 8 p.m. (beginner program at

7:30 p.m.).

SATURDAY

Contradance, Wescustogo Grange, North Yarmouth. $10; $7 for students and seniors. 233-4325. Family dance at 6 p.m.; potluck at 7 p.m.; beginner dance session at 7:30 p.m.; with band Whiffletree, 8 p.m.

Ballroom dancing, Maplewood Dance Center, Portland. 878-0584. 7:30 to 11 p.m. Saturday; holiday pot luck party ($10), 7 to 11 p.m. Wednesday.

 

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