‘Migrations’ at archipelago

     ROCKLAND -- The Island Institute’s store archipelago will open a show of avian art during the season’s first Gallery Night Friday, May 26. An artists reception for “Migrations” will be held from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. Friday at archipelago, 386 Main St.

     “Migrations” will gather photographs of seabirds, original pastels, bird carvings and antique-style hand-carved decoys, whimsical polymer sculptures of birds that live only in the artist’s imagination, functional pottery with images of marsh birds and other fine art and craft featuring birds of all kinds.

     Artists whose work will be featured include Doris Anne Holman of Harpswell, Kirk Gentalen of Vinalhaven, Victor Romanyshyn of Peaks Island, Sally Loughridge of Nobleboro, Susan Woodside of Farmington and Swan’s Island and Peter Barengo of Readfield.

     The store, which features the work of some 200 artists, photographers and craftspeople -- 60 of whom are residents of Maine’s year-round island communities -- provides income and exposure exclusively to Maine artists.

     The show will run through June 9. Memorial Day weekend also will launch expanded summer hours for archipelago, which will be open seven days a week beginning Sunday, May 28. Summer hours are 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays; 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Wednesdays (with hours extended to 8 p.m. June 21, July 19 and Aug. 16; 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays; and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sundays.

     Art featured in “Migrations,” along with hundreds of other Maine- and island-made art and craft items, also can be found on the Web site: www.thearchipelago.net.

Van Dusen signs new ‘Mercy’

     CAMDEN -- “Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride” is the newest installment in the Mercy Watson series of children’s books by Newberry Award-Winning author Kate DiCamillo, author of “Because of Winn-Dixie” and “Tale of Despereaux,” and illustrated by Camden’s Chris Van Dusen.

     Van Dusen is author/illustrator of such favorites as the Mr. Magee books and “If I Built a Car.” He will hold his first signing for the new Mercy Watson book from 1 p.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, May 27, at Owl & Turtle Bookshop, 32 Washington St. For information, call 236-4769.

Birdwatch walk set

     ROCKPORT -- Reg Pelletier will lead a birdwatch walk up the Spruce Mountain section of the Georges River Land Trust’s Georges Highland Path, beginning at 7 a.m., Saturday, May 27.

     Pelletier, a member of the GRLT Trails Committee, is a renowned ornithological expert and an excellent guide for birders at all levels of experience.

     Birders should gather at the Route 17 access, about two miles west of the intersection with Route 90, by 7 a.m., since birds are most active early in the day. Wear comfortable shoes, bring water and binoculars.

     This event is part of the Georges River Land Trust’s 2006 series of special events, including at least one hike a month on the Georges Highland Path and other activities including canoeing and kayaking on the St. George River, biking, plein-air painting, lectures on flora and fauna and the annual garden tour.

     For information on the trust and its activities, visit www.grlt.org, e-mail info@grlt.org or call 594-5166.

A jazzy Swing into Spring

     ROCKPORT -- Down East Jazz Society’s annual Swing into Spring scholarship fund-raiser will be 7:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m. Saturday, May 27, at the Samoset Resort, Warrenton Street.

     Music in the ball room will be provided by Stan Catell and Friends, who will play music from the 1930s, ‘40s, ‘50s and beyond.

     Admission at the door will be $12; to reserve a table of six or more, call 596-7874.

     Proceeds will help fund scholarships for music students who are graduates of Medomak Valley High School in Waldoboro, Georges Valley High School in Thomaston, Rockland District High School, Camden Hills Regional High School in Rockport and Belfast Area High School. Last year, the society gave a total of $6,500 in scholarships.

Vintage Auto & Plane show opens museum season

     OWLS HEAD -- The Owls Head Transportation Museum will hold its first event of the summer season -- the Fiddlehead Vintage Auto & Antique Aeroplane Show -- on Sunday, May 28. Gates open at 9:30 a.m.

     Owners of antique and vintage automobiles 20 years or older (pre-1987) are invited to exhibit their vehicles and receive free admission to this event. The museum also invites owners of modern, cruising motorcycles to exhibit their motorcycles at this event.

     In addition to the auto and aeroplane show, two other activities are a Kids’ Wheels Rally, where children can bring and exhibit their own vehicles -- everything from baby strollers and tricycles to pedal cars and 12-volt battery-powered cars are welcome to exhibit. A highlight of the day will be a parade of children’s vehicles around the tarmac track.

     Another tradition at the annual Fiddlehead event is the sampling of Maine fiddleheads, usually prepared by museum staff. This year, local chefs will have a chance to show off their unique fiddlehead recipes by participating in the Fiddlehead Challenge. A panel of five local judges will sample and judge the entries, and the person with the winning entry will be crowned Master Fiddlehead Chef. To enter the contest, pre-register by calling Cathy Hardy at the museum.

     The museum is located on Route 73 in Owls Head, three miles south of Rockland. The museum is open every day, year round. For information call 594-4418 or visit www.owlshead.org.

Down East Singers offer annual concert

     ROCKLAND -- Down East Singers will present John Rutter’s “Requiem” as the featured work at its annual Memorial Day concert at 5 p.m. Monday, May 29, at Rockland Congregational Church, 180 Limerock St.

     The performance, conducted by music director Anthony Antolini, is dedicated to the memory of one-time Down East Singers board president Davis Washburn.

     British composer Rutter is well known as the founder of the Cambridge Singers, a professional choir that has made many recordings of Rutter’s own compositions and other European choral works. Rutter’s choral compositions have gained wide popularity, especially in the United Kingdom and United States, and his “Requiem,” written in 1985, is among the best-loved and most widely performed of 20th-century choral works.

     Rutter has described his composition, written “in the shadow of a bereavement of my own,” as a personal selection of texts that form an arch-like meditation on the themes of life and death: intimate rather than grand; contemplative and lyric, rather than dramatic; consolatory, rather than grim; and approachable, rather than exclusive.

     “Requiem” is scored for soprano soloist, mixed choir and small orchestra or chamber ensemble. Hannah Batley will be the soprano soloist for the Memorial Day performance. Batley, who currently is studying vocal performance at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Music, is a Thomaston native and a graduate of Camden Hills Regional High School. On a recent Down East Singers concert tour of the California Bay Area, Batley sang the soprano solo in the Tebye Poyem movement of the Rachmaninoff Liturgy, which she first performed with Down East Singers at age 16. Batley’s father, Dustin, is an active member of Down East Singers and will sing in the tenor section of the chorus.

     Down East Singers is dedicated to providing opportunities for community members to perform outstanding choral music under professional leadership. Founded in 1979 by Marion Gray, the group brings to Midcoast audiences affordable, live choral music performances via repertoire ranging from the Baroque to 21st century.

     Admission to the Memorial Day concert will be $10, free for students younger than 18. For information, call 236-4747 or visit the Web Site: www.downeastsingers.org.

CCT auditions ‘The Music Man’

     CAMDEN -- Camden Civic Theatre will hold auditions for its August musical production of “The Music Man” from 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, May 30 and 31, in the downtown Camden Opera House. Call backs, if needed, will be held 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 1.

     This classic American musical by Meredith Willson involves lovable con man Harold Hill and his attempts to pull the wool over the eyes of the townspeople of River City, Iowa. Parts include but are not limited to Harold Hill, Marian Paroo, Mrs. Paroo, Mayor Shinn, Mrs. Shinn, Marcellus Washburn, the School Board/Barbershop Quartet -- all adult leading/supporting roles; Tommy Djilas and Zaneeta Shinn -- teen supporting roles; and Winthrop Paroo, Amaryllus and Gracie Shinn -- pre- or early teen roles. There also is a large adult and youth chorus involved offering many chances to sing, dance and do scene work.

     People who would like to play in the orchestra also are sought. Musical direction will be by Barbara Hendricks, and the orchestra will be conducted by Marlene Hall.

     Those interested in auditioning should come prepared to sing, learn a short dance routine and read “cold” from the script. “The Music Man” will be presented Aug. 11-13, 18 and 19.

     For information, contact stage/artistic director Paul Aron Weintraub at 236-4140 or via e-mail to paulw@ midcoast.com.

Currie on Coffeehouse menu

     CAMDEN -- Maine singer/songwriter Carolyn Currie will be featured at the Camden Library Coffeehouse at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 1, in the library’s Picker Room, Atlantic Avenue.

     Currie is a noted performer and has recorded three CDs. She has wowed audiences throughout the United States playing at festivals including the Pacific Northwest’s Bumbershoot and Folklife Festivals, California’s High Sierra Music Festival and Napa Valley Folk Festival, Colorado’s Telluride Bluegrass Festival and Rocky Mountain Folks Festival, New York’s Falcon Ridge Folk Festival and the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas.

     Tickets at the door will be $5, $4 for senior citizens and students. For information, call 236-3440.

Container gardening subject of talk

     ROCKPORT -- The Rockport Garden Club will welcome Maine Certified Nurseryman Dennis Milliken of Hoboken Gardens for their Thursday, June 1 meeting. Milliken will give a demonstration and talk on whimsical and elegant container gardening at 2 p.m. The talk is open to the public.

     Milliken has several years of experience. For 12 years he worked with Merry Gardens and another five at Bob’s Flowers. He has been with the Hoboken Gardens Horticultural Center for the last 18 years.

     The presentation will be held at Penobscot Bay YMCA, Union Street.

     For information about this program or the Rockport Garden Club call 594-1919 or 236-2202.

Brubeck Choral Festival in the spotlight

     CAMDEN -- Bay Chamber Concerts will present music of Dave Brubeck played by members of the Brubeck family together with a large choral ensemble at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 3, at the Camden Opera House on Elm Street.

     The artistic director and conductor of the choral work is Russell Gloyd, longtime conductor and producer for Brubeck. The Brubeck Brothers Quartet also will perform some of Brubeck’s popular jazz standards.

     The featured piece at the concert will be Brubeck’s moving choral tribute “Earth is Our Mother,” a work for choir and jazz ensemble with narration provided by Native American storyteller, Allen Sockabasin. Also to be performed are “Hold Fast to Dreams,” a setting of a Langston Hughes poem, and excerpts from “To Hope! A Celebration” and “La Fiesta de la Posada.”

     Twenty-five singers from Maine and New England will participate. The musical accompaniment will be provided by the Brubeck Brothers Quartet and other professional musicians including cellist Marc Johnson of the Vermeer Quartet, bassoonist Ardith Keef of the Portland Symphony and timpanist Nancy Laite of the Bangor Symphony.

     Selected parts of the Choral Festival are open to the public, by reservation, as Spotlight Sessions. The first, 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 31, will bring Russell Gloyd to the Rockport Opera House to speak about his collaboration with Brubeck, particularly on his choral works. At 1:30 p.m. Thursday, June 1, Laura Lee Perkins and Ken Green of White Owl Flutes will lead a workshop on how to play the Native American flute; instruments will be provided.

     The third Spotlight Session is 1:30 p.m. Friday, June 2, at the Rockport Opera House. Sockabasin, president of Nee-Loon (We Together), an organization to preserve the culture and languages of the indigenous people of the Northeast, will share his insights on storytelling in Passamaquoddy culture and on the famous speech, “Earth Is Our Mother,” attributed to Chief Seattle. The final Spotlight Session will be held 1:30 p.m. Saturday, June 3, at the Camden Opera House and will feature Chris and Dan Brubeck of the Brubeck Brothers Quartet reminiscing about growing up in the musical Brubeck family.

     Tickets to the concert are $22 to $30 for adults and $8 to $15 for students and children. Tickets to the Spotlight Sessions are $10 or $30 for all four. For more information, to register for the Spotlight Sessions or to purchase tickets, contact Bay Chamber Concerts at 236-2823, toll free at (888) 707-2770 or online at www.baychamberconcerts.org.

Floor cloth workshop at Montpelier

     THOMASTON -- Montpelier, the General Henry Knox Museum, will host a workshop on the historical art of making floor cloths led by Patience Sampson of Friendship and Boston.

     The two-day workshop will be held 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on two successive Fridays, June 2 and 9, at Montpelier, Route 131 at Route 1.

     Also known as oilcloth or painted carpet, floor cloths were commonly used in the entryways, hallways and dining rooms of well-to-do American homes from the Revolutionary War to about the 1860s. Gen. Knox’s inventory of items brought to Montpelier in the 1790s listed many painted carpets.

     Participants will learn about materials and techniques and 18th-century design and will help create a floor cloth appropriate in design and color to the period when Henry and Lucy Knox lived in Thomaston. Part of the extensive changes happening at Montpelier this season will be the relocation of the tour entrance from the basement level to the main floor, and the floor cloth produced by this workshop will greet visitors as they enter the mansion, adding significantly to the museum’s historical ambience.

     Sampson has been painting floor cloths since the late 1990s, when she was inspired by some she had seen in a Blue Hill gallery. Her original designs are largely repetitive stencils, drawing inspiration from the Maine coast. Over the years her designs have morphed from floor cloths to silk screens applied to clothing and, most recently, a line of home linens including napkins and shower curtains. Sampson’s products are sold at several outlets throughout the Midcoast as well as the Women’s Educational and Industrial Union in Boston, and she has conducted demonstrations and classes in both locations.

     The workshop is limited to 10 participants, so early registration is encouraged. The fee is $35, $30 for museum members. Participants should plan to bring a bag lunch with them; beverages and light snacks will be provided by the museum.

     To register, or for information, call the museum at 354-0180, send an e-mail to archivist@generalknoxmuseum.org or visit www.knoxmuseum.org.