Wabanaki Stories, Songs, History and Drumming

On Thursday, October 11, The Abbe Museum sponsors Wabanaki Stories, History and Drumming at the Harbor House in Southwest Harbor, Maine at 5PM. $10 for adults, $5 children 12 and younger.

Chris Sockalexis 

John Dennis

The Abbe Museum is honored to be part of Southwest Harbor Days this year and present a Wabanaki history experience for the public to learn more about the Indigenous peoples of Maine, their cultures, arts, and stories.

From 5-6 PM John Dennis a Mi’kmaq storyteller will be sharing songs and stories with the public. John is the Cultural Director at the Aroostook Band of MicMac, in his work he strives to pass on his knowledge to the youth of the Mi’kmaq and other Wabanaki Communities.

Chris Sockalexis of the Penobscot Nation will be presenting on his work as an Indigenous archeologist for his community located at Indian Island from 6-7 PM. Chris has a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of Maine with his primary focus being on Maine Archaeology. He is currently conducting research for his Masters of Science degree at the University of Maine Climate Change Institute with his thesis work focusing on Cultural Identity and Maritime Adaptation in Frenchman Bay, Maine. Chris is one of the lead singers of the RezDogs, an intertribal powwow drum group based out of Indian Island, Maine. He serves on the Abbe Museum board and is also an avid canoe/kayak paddler who loves being out in the Maine woods and on the waterways that his ancestors have traveled for thousands of years. 

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For tickets to this and other Southwest Harbor Week programs, go to https://www.acadiachamber.com/swhw.php.

Bar Harbor Bank & Trust Sponsors 2018 MDI Marathon

Gary Allen, Race Director of the Mount Desert Island Marathon, receives a sponsorship check from Lisa Parsons and Steve Gurin of Bar Harbor Bank & Trust for the 17^th annual event scheduled for Sunday, October 14, 2018.  The race starts in Bar Harbor and finishes in Southwest Harbor, passing all four of Bar Harbor Bank & Trust’s branches on Mount Desert Island.  This year 2,000 race participants are expected, which will bring many to Mount Desert Island as the summer season wanes. 

“We are proud to call Bar Harbor Bank & Trust a founding sponsor of the Mount Desert Island Marathon, said Gary Allen, Race Director and Founder.  This important and appreciated sponsorship helps provide a transportation network for marathon weekend, a free kids run, and the ability to host a true world-class sporting event on Mount Desert Island, which impacts positively all island communities.”  For more information, go to: www.runmdi.org.

Bar Harbor Bankshares (NYSE American: BHB) is the parent company of its wholly owned subsidiary, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust. Operating 49 branch locations across Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust is headquartered in Bar Harbor, Maine and has more than $3.5 billion in assets.  As a leading Northern New England community bank, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust offers a full range of personal and business banking services, as well as wealth management services through its subsidiaries Bar Harbor Trust Services and Charter Trust Company.  For more information about Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, visit www.BarHarbor.bank or call 1-888-853-7100.  Member FDIC.

Cruise of MDI’S Great Harbor to make History come alive

Andrew Simon, co-founder of the Barn Arts Collective.

A collaboration between MDI Historical Society and the Barn Arts Collective aboard the Sea Princess Sails form Northeast Harbor on Thursday October 11

 Tim Garrity, Executive Director of the 

Mount Desert Island Historical Society.

As the Sea Princess cruises through Somes Sound and the Great Harbor of Mount Desert Island, Tim Garrity, Executive Director of the MDI Historical Society, will team with Andrew Simon, theater-maker and co-founder of the Barn Arts Collective, to bring to life events and people from MDI’s past. The cruise will provide insight into what has for millennia drawn humans and other creatures to this unique island.

On the cruise Simon will portray figures from history such as Henry Spelman and Jasty McGowan. Spelman was a member of the Champlain Society, the group of 1880s-era college students who studied the natural history of the island. McGowan, a quarry worker, is a character created by Simon for the Historical Society’s Vintage Classroom program, which recreates an 1894 schoolhouse in an immersive performance for local students.

Said Garrity, “Mount Desert Island is best seen from the water and enhanced by an appreciation of the historical scenes that have gone before. We hope to provide our audience with an enriching and exciting experience.” Simon added, “History and Theater are both about telling stories. Storytelling is the way that we understand who we are and how we’ve gotten here. Barn Arts is fortunate to have a dynamic partnership with the Historical Society that explores this concept and we’re excited about this new collaboration.”

The 2-hour cruise will leave Northeast Harbor at 1:15 pm on October 11^th. From Northeast Harbor the boat will pass by East Bunker Ledge, Sutton and Cranberry Islands, then venture up Somes Sound with the beauty of the autumn season serving as the backdrop for this informative and creative performance. Tickets are $35.

The event is part of Southwest Harbor Week, ten days of tastings, talks, tours, concerts, cruises, and demonstrations hosted by the Southwest Harbor & Tremont Chamber of Commerce. Each day focuses on a different theme that highlights one or more cultural resources on Mount Desert Island. Find a calendar for Southwest Harbor Week and online ticket sales on the Chamber website, AcadiaChamber.com.

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The Southwest Harbor & Tremont Chamber of Commerce works to promote a vibrant economic community by attracting visitors and connecting them to local businesses. It hosts annual events such as the Fourth of July Fireworks and Acadia’s Oktoberfest. It runs a Visitor Center in Southwest Harbor and the website AcadiaChamber.com, valuable resources for both visitors and residents. The Chamber also seeks to enhance the experience of visitors by publishing trail, cycling, and road maps of MDI and supporting self-guided audio tours.

For more information about the Great Harbor Cruise and other Southwest Harbor Week events please contact Cynthia Crow at 207-244-9264 or office@AcadiaChamber.com.

Southwest Harbor Week Celebrates the Quietside of Acadia

This autumn, through a week of walks, cruises, concerts, talks and demonstrations, Southwest Harbor will feature the history and riches of Acadia’s Quietside. The week begins with Acadia’s 23^nd Oktoberfest during Columbus Day weekend and ends on Sunday October 14^th at the finish line for the 17^th running of the MDI Marathon. Each day during the intervening week will highlight one of the area’s cultural resources.

Organized by AcadiaChamber, the Southwest Harbor & Tremont Chamber of Commerce, SW Harbor Week aims to raise awareness of the institutions and businesses outside the tourist hub of Bar Harbor. Alan Feuer, President of AcadiaChamber, says

Many people don’t realize that Acadia National Park covers nearly half of Mount Desert Island, and that many of the island’s attractions lie near Northeast and Southwest Harbors, often called the “Quietside of Acadia”. SW Harbor Week will shine a light on areas away from the tourist hub of Bar Harbor.

Some of the events planned are listed below.

Friday	Wine tasting at Smuggler’s Den Campground hosted by Sawyers Specialties.
Saturday	Acadia’s Invitational Oktoberfest at Smuggler’s Den featuring music by Banned From Eden and Jones’n the Eclectic Dance Band. Craft fair on the Pemetic Green hosted by the Island Arts Association.
Sunday	Atlantic Brewing Company’s 15th Annual Belt Sander Races & Buffet BBQ.
Monday	Talks and demonstrations of granite quarrying at the Maine Granite Industry Museum. Guided tours of a local quarry led by Steve Haynes, founder of the museum. Geology walks by geologists Duane and Ruth Braun, authors of Guide to the Geology of Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park. Geology-related art classes at ArtWaves MDI.
Tuesday	A workshop on nature journaling using watercolors at the Wendell Gilley Museum. Director’s tour of the Gilley exhibit Earth, Sea, Sky featuring large-scale paintings by artist Barbara Ernst Prey. Guided birding tour into the field with Acadia Birding Festival founder Michael Good.
Wednesday	Tour of the Bass Harbor Lighthouse led by Coast Guardsmen. Sunset cruise past Bass Harbor Light with Eli Strauss of Island Cruises. Lighthouse themed art workshops by ArtWaves MDI.
Thursday	History brought to life while cruising on Somes Sound with MDI Historical Society Director Tim Garrity and actors from The Barn Arts Collective. Wabanaki History and Art hosted by the Abbe Museum. Birding cruise on the Elizabeth T with Acadia Birding Festival founder Michael Good.
Friday	Open house at the Southwest Harbor Coast Guard Station with a tour of the fleet. Tour of a Hinckley Company shop with Hinckley vice president Philip Bennett. Lobstering from a 19th Century sloop led by Sail Acadia founder Karl Brunner.
Saturday	Curator’s tour Art, Advertising and the Automobile at the Seal Cove Auto Museum. Hood ornament carving workshop at the Auto Museum in conjunction with the Wendell Gilley Museum. Exhibition of and rides in early Fords.
Sunday	Running of the MDI Marathon, voted America’s “most scenic”. Finish Line Festival in Southwest Harbor featuring music, food and the arrival of the marathoners. (Passenger ferry service will run between Northeast Harbor and Southwest Harbor.)

Events will take place at various venues on Mount Desert Island. Please Visit AcadiaChamber.com for the latest calendar or contact the Chamber office for more information and to purchase tickets.

The Southwest Harbor & Tremont Chamber of Commerce works to promote a vibrant economic community by attracting visitors and connecting them to local businesses. It hosts annual events such as the Fourth of July Fireworks and Acadia’s Oktoberfest. It runs a Visitor Center in Southwest Harbor and the website AcadiaChamber.com, valuable resources for both visitors and residents of Mount Desert Island. The Chamber also seeks to enhance the experience of visitors by publishing trail, cycling, and road maps of the island and supporting self-guided audio tours.

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For more information about SW Harbor Week events please contact Cynthia Crow at 207-244-9264 or office@AcadiaChamber.com.