Arts
317 Main Community Music Center, 30 minute concerts featuring teaching artists at 7:30 p.m. Mondays and Fridays on Instagram, Facebook and Vimeo, and at 317main.org under “Listen.” Open mics every other week on Zoom. Sign up at openmic@317main.org. Free and open to the public. Spring classes will also be online.
Bowdoin College Museum of Art, entire collection searchable online along with selected exhibits, Visit From Home activities, bowdoin.edu/art-museum.
Chocolate Church Arts Center Live From Home Series presents online concerts streamed via the Chocolate Church Arts Center’s Facebook page. Free to watch. Check Facebook for dates and times.
Palaver Strings: Palaver Solo Sessions, 10-week live-streamed series every Thursday until June 4 at 7 p.m. on Facebook or Instagram, Visit palaverstrings.org for more information and to see a line-up of performers.
Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum on the Bowdoin College campus is offering collections and exhibitions to view online at bowdoin.edu/arctic-museum.
Portland Museum of Art offers browsable collections online, as well as videos and podcasts. Visit portlandmuseum.org and scroll down to “Stay Connected!”
Portland Stage, tickets to the digital stream of “Native Gardens” can be purchased at portlandstage.org. Health care workers are encouraged to email the box office for free tickets at boxoffice@portlandstage.org.
PSO: Notes from Home, digital video series by Portland Symphony Orchestra musicians who perform, demonstrate their instruments and talk about their professional careers. Available on Facebook and Instagram, as well as the PSO website.
Sing with Neighbors, 9 a.m. Saturdays in Deering Center, Portland. Sing from a doorstep or sidewalk. Visit Deering Center Neighborhood Association Facebook page for details.
Thursday 4/16
Artist Talk: Maine Jewish Museum photography curator Nanci Kahn about artist Elizabeth Greenberg’s photographs in the
“Imaginary Places” exhibit at the museum, 7 p.m. on Zoom. RSVP to photography@mainejewishmuseum.org and include in the subject line
“RSVP – Imaginary Places Artist Talk.”
Benefits
Portland Artist Relief Fund. The goal is to raise $50,000 to distribute $500 each to 100 artists. Applications available online. Check creativeportland.com/Artist_Relief_Fund for more.
Habitat for Humanity Greater Portland, donations sought at app.etapestry.com/hosted/HabitatforHumanityofGreate_1/OnlineDonation.html.
Maine Jewish Museum: Buy a Brick, $118, benefits programming and art exhibits at the Portland site, xecd@mainejewishmuseum.org or 954-501-6213.
United Way of Maine has started an Urgent Needs Fund to help local initiatives and agencies at unitedwaysofmaine.org/covid/.
Bulletin Board
Dog Cookie Bin, open at St. Lawrence Arts, 76 Congress St., Portland, for pups that still need their walks during social distancing. Pet owners can also leave a dog biscuit donation in the bin.
Friday 4/10
SailMaine hosts virtual community coffee hour, 9-10 a.m. via Zoom at zoom.us/j/775878466. Visit the group’s Facebook page for details and
Sunday 4/12
Citizens Climate Lobby Virtual Hangout, 3-4 p.m. via Zoom. Free, citizensclimatelobbymaine.weebly.com.
Dining In
Deering Center Community Church in Portland: food available Wednesday afternoons through Friday while supplies last, reserve a box before 10:30 a.m. Wednesday through pastordon@deeringcenter.org or leave a message at 773-2423.
Freeport Community Services Food Pantry is offering people in need prepackaged bags of food from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Visit fcsmaine.org/covid-19-update/ for more information.
Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program, 12 Tenney Way, Brunswick, is offering to-go lunches and pre-packed boxes outside the eastern entrance and the food pantry. Visit mchpp.org/covid/ for details or call 725-2716.
Donation Requests
Independence Association in Brunswick, a nonprofit supporting residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities, houses clients with health vulnerabilities and is preparing in case anyone develops COVID-19 symptoms. A list for needed items has been posted on amazon.com.
Yarmouth Community Food Pantry needs pasta sauce, beans, peanut butter and jelly, cereal, canned vegetables and canned fruit. Donations can be placed at the rear of the First Parish Church, 116 Main St. in the basket by the Food Pantry door.
Health
COVID-19 Food Safety Information, University of Maine Cooperative Extension links to fact sheets, guidelines and videos about proper disinfection techniques, food purchasing and storage, recipes using pantry staples, role of hand washing in food safety, extension.umaine.edu/food-health/food-safety.
People Plus in Brunswick, free exercise videos online at peopleplusmaine.org/article/people-plus-free-exercise-videos.
The Dempsey Center, virtual services available, call 877-336-7287 or visit dempseycenter.org.
YMCA locations in Bath, Brunswick, Freeport, Portland and South Portland free online workout videos. ymcaofsouthernmaine.org/videos and ymca360.org/.
Thursday 4/16
“Stress Less,” 6-7 p.m., free online workshop that focuses on stress management, designed by and for teens 13-18, hosted by National 4-H Healthy Living Summit Team from Maine, must register by April 13, contact Sara Conant, sara.conant@maine.edu, 781-6099.
Kids
Facebook Live Storytime with Ms. Katy, 10:30 a.m. April 10 and 17. Hosted by Bath’s Patten Free Library. Visit the library’s Facebook page for details.
Portland Parks, Recreation and Facilities Department is using Facebook to share stories nightly at 7 p.m. with young readers at facebook.com/PortlandMainePRF. Also included on Facebook and Instagram are games, songs, links, videos, outdoor places to visit, craft ideas and more.
Portland Stage Play Me a Story Education Program, 10:30 a.m. Saturday mornings on Facebook Live. Gives kids ages 4-10 the experience of theater as professionals perform children’s stories and offer acting workshops. Free.
Learning
ecomaine nonprofit waste management organization, learning videos, virtual tours about recycling, composting, ecomaine.org.
Gardening Q&As, hosted by Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners on Zoom, 7 p.m. April 14; 9:30 a.m. April 20; 3 p.m. April 28. Free, register at mofga.org/MOFGA-Events/gardening-q-and-a-with-mofga.
Greater Portland Landmarks, download free activity books for kids at portlandlandmarks.org under education/publications, and free videos of lectures for adults at portlandlandmarks.org/videos.
Maine Audubon, weekly post on environmental science for grades 6-8 at maineaudubon.org/education/connections.
Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce live webinars and virtual events, portlandregion.com/virtual.html
STEM and Minute-To-Win-It style challenges Tuesdays and Thursdays, Yarmouth Community Services Facebook page and yarmouthcommunityservices.org.
The Telling Room in Portland, open virtually to support teachers, instructors, parents and students with distance learning, including daily writing prompts for young writers on their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts. tellingroom.org/stories.
University of Maine Cooperative Extension 4-H Learn at Home for parents, caregivers and students, 581-3877 or extension@maine.edu for more information. extension.umaine.edu/4h/learn-at-home/.
UMaine’s Fogler Library: New Remote Learning Resource guide for K-12 students, families, and educators, https://bit.ly/3bNKb8P.
Virtual Science Café for Teens, hosted by University of Maine Cooperative Extension 4-H for in grades 7-12 each Tuesday from 3-3:45 p.m. Learn about science in action in an informal discussion. Registration required for each session at 581-3877, jessica.brainerd@maine.edu.
Thursday 4/9
Organic Lawncare and Landscaping, 5:30 p.m., free online webinar hosted by MOFGA, register at mofga.org/MOFGA-Events/organic-lawncare-and-landscaping.
Libraries
Cundy’s Harbor Library, wi-fi accessible outside the Harpswell building. Visit the library’s Facebook page for updates.
Curtis Memorial Library, cloudLibrary is accessible to check out eBooks from Brunswick. Visit curtislibrary.com/cloudlibrary-ebooks-audiobooks/ for instructions. Similarly, Flipster can be used to access digital magazines at curtislibrary.com/flipster-downloadable-magazines/.
Merrill Memorial Library, has free access for Yarmouth residents to the virtual library TumbleBooks at yarmouthlibrary.org/library_event/tumblebooks/.
Portland Public Library, cloudLibrary is accessible to check out eBooks. Visit portlandlibrary.com/highlight/cloudlibrary/ for instructions.
Prince Memorial Library, email and phone requests (829-2215) to check out books 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday in Cumberland. princememorial.org.
Scarborough Public Library, digital services including cloudLibrary, TumbleBooks, Flipster and Kanopy, are available at scarboroughlibrary.org.
South Portland Public Library book drops at 482 Broadway and 155 Wescott Road are open. The library offers access to the the Digital Maine Library. Visit southportlandlibrary.com for details.
Thomas Memorial Library, cloudLibrary and TumbleBooks are accessible to check out eBooks from Cape Elizabeth. Kanopy (streaming service partnered with public libraries) and the Digital Maine Library are also accessible at thomasmemoriallibrary.org.
Topsham Public Library, Wi-Fi is still accessible outside the building. Visit topshamlibrary.org/stay-at-home-mega-list/ for a long list of resources to eBooks, online courses, cloudLibrary and more.
Parks and Nature
Bath trails, parks and track at McMann Field are open. For more information, visit the Bath Parks & Recreation Department’s Facebook page.
Brunswick parks and trails are open unless otherwise marked. Use of playgrounds is discouraged. Visit brunswickme.org/191/Parks-Recreation for updates.
Cape Elizabeth’s Fort Williams Park is closed until May 1. Visit capeelizabeth.com for updates.
Cumberland town parks are open. Visit cumberlandmaine.com/parks for a full list.
Falmouth Land Trust trails are open unless otherwise marked due to poor conditions. Visit falmouthlandtrust.org/properties-1 to find a park or trail. Falmouth town trails and playgrounds are closed.
Freeport parks and trails are open with restrictions detailed at freeportmaine.com. Playground and group meetings areas are closed. Winslow Memorial Park access is limited; if the gate house parking lot is full, the park is at capacity and you should return at another time.
Greater Portland Landmarks, free, online self-guided walking tours, portlandlandmarks.org/.
Harpswell parks and trails are open. The town asks that rules, such as keeping pets under control, are strictly followed. View the Harpswell Guide at harpswell.maine.gov.
Maine Audubon sanctuaries in Freeport, Scarborough and West Bath are free and open to the public from dawn to dusk. Buildings are closed. No pets. Virtual bird watching with nest and feeder cams at maineaudubon.org/news/connections-nest-and-feeder-cams/. Check maineaudobon.org for more events as they are added.
Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, information about recreational opportunities, including fishing, riding, hunting, trapping and hiking at www.mefishwildlife.com.
Natural Resources Council of Maine, maps to explore the state, nrcm.org.
North Yarmouth town parks are open. Visit northyarmouth.org/parks-and-recreation-committee/webforms/town-parks for a full list.
Portland parks and trails are open, but playgrounds and baseball fields are closed. Visit portlandmaine.gov/182/Parks-Recreation-Facilities for a link to an interactive map showing the status of open spaces. All permitted events for use of of public space and all public assembly venues are canceled until April 13.
Scarborough parks, trails and beaches are open unless otherwise noted at scarboroughmaine.org or with signage.
South Portland parks and trails are open, but recreation facilities are closed and programs are suspended. Visit southportlandme.myrec.com for more details.
Topsham Parks and Recreation activities and programs have been suspended, but public parks are still open. All playing fields and playgrounds are not in use and park facilities such as restrooms are closed.
Yarmouth parks and trails, except for the West Side Trail, are open. All playgrounds are closed. Visit yarmouthcommunityservices.org/open-spaces-1 for a full list.
Support
Clapping for Workers at Hospitals, Nursing Homes is a nightly Deering Center neighborhood event in Portland. At 7 p.m., participants social distance on doorsteps and sidewalks and clap to say thank you. See Deering Center Neighborhood Association Facebook page for details.
Deering Center Neighborhood: Step Outside Your Doorstep and Sing with Your Neighbors, every Saturday at 9 a.m. in Portland.
Freeport Community Services Thrift Shop is taking requests via phone and email for emergency clothing and household items. Contact Sarah Lundin at 865-3985 ext. 205 or slundin@fcsmaine.org. Visit fcsmaine.org/covid-19-update/ for more information.
OUT Maine, a nonprofit that serves LGBTQ+ youth throughout the state, canceled Rainbow Ball Weekend in May, but staff is connecting with at-risk youth through the phone and social media. More information at outmaine.org.
Workshops/Talks
Fast Forward Maine Virtual Conference, 8:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 7 and 8. For business owners, leaders and entrepreneurs interested in growing their company. Watch presentations live or on demand. Free. Visit fastforwardmaine.com/conference for agenda and to register.
“Garden Chats: Growing Resilience from the Ground Up,” hosted by University of Maine Cooperative Extension 9 a.m. Mondays, noon Wednesdays and 6 p.m. Thursdays through April 23. Contact Caragh Fitzgerald at 622-7546 or cfitzgerald@maine.edu for schedule of topics and instructions for joining the Zoom sessions.
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