Sustain Maine Happier Hour Tonight 11/9

The Portland Pirates have invited Portland Buy Local to be the guest host of this week’s “Sustain Maine” Happier Hour at Empire. Local matters, local minds, local music!

Every Friday, the “Sustain Maine” series celebrates local community/environmental initiatives, local businesses, and local food + drink. Tickets are FREE w/valid ID + email address, and you can enter to win great prizes like Pirates’ tickets, Buy Local T Shirts, and a Portland Buy Local Individual Membership.

So come to Empire Dine and Dance (575 Congress Street) to connect with Portland Buy Local friends, enjoy food and local drink specials, hear some great music, and find out what “Sustain Maine” is all about!

When: Friday, November 9th

Where: 575 Congress Street

Time: 5:00 pm – 7:30pm

2012 Indie Biz Awards & Auction

Portland Buy Local: Please join us the evening of Wednesday, October 3, 2012 at One Longfellow Square for the 2012 Awards ceremony and to learn who this year’s winners are. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. and the Awards will be announced at 8:00 p.m.  

This year’s Awards will also feature live music from local musicians Cubozoa and Josh Madore and a live auction featuring incredible local experiences like a private tour and tasting at Allagash Brewery, a year’s membership to GreenLight Studio, a day’s worth of cleaning from Green Clean Maine, and more! The auction will begin at 7:00 p.m.

Mumford and Sons tickets on sale Friday

WHO: Mumford & Sons with St. Vincent, Dawes, The Maccabees, Apache Relay, Simone Felice and Haim
WHEN: 2 p.m. Aug. 4
WHERE: Eastern Promenade, Portland
HOW MUCH: $69; A limited number of $59 tickets will be available first-come, first served; On sale at 10 a.m. Friday
INFO: Gentlemenoftheroad.com

- PressHerald:

Winston Marshall says it's a "disgrace" that his band – acclaimed British folk rockers Mumford & Sons – haven't played Maine yet.

That's partially why he and his band mates have picked Portland as one of just four U.S. sites for the band's "Gentlemen of the Road Stopovers" tour this summer. The Aug. 4 outdoor show on Portland's Eastern Promenade was announced by the band Tuesday and tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, only at Gentlemenoftheroad.com.

Hundreds of places across the country were considered by the band. But Marshall said Portland was one of the few picked because of its setting on the ocean, its vibrant arts and music scene, and the fact that the guys in Mumford & Sons had never been here before.

Portfringe 2012

"Fringe theatre is traditionally innovative, obscure, new, subversive and edgy. Projects that mix media, push boundaries, and expand the idea of theatre. It is compact and portable. Fringe is theater on the outskirts of normal. 

Portland Theater Collaborative is a group of local designers, actors, directors, and administrators, committed to creating a focal point for ongoing collaboration in the southern Maine theater community. PORTFRINGE 2012 will be our first event, June 26 – July 1, 2012."

Portfringe 

Downtown Worker Appreciation Day - tomorrow morning!

Portland's Downtown District and Portland Buy Local are joining forces to present:
Downtown Worker Appreciation Day!

Thursday September 15th
(Rain date Sept. 16)

Downtown Worker Appreciation Day - tomorrow morning!

"We invite all those who work downtown to visit our tables located outside at the Portland Museum of Art, Monument Square, and Tommy's Park tomorrow morning.

Enjoy coupons and gifts from local businesses, refreshments and snacks! 

Local businesses want to thank you for working downtown and keeping Portland's core vibrant. "

Bowl Local - 4/7

"Gather up your friends, family, co-workers and members of your bowling league and head to Bayside Bowl on Monday, February 7th!

Bayside Bowl will be donating 5% of the revenue for the whole day (4 p.m.-1 a.m.) to Portland Buy Local".

Art Walk

Photo Works will be open for the Art Walk tonight.  Other places to see photography are at Green Hand Books showing photos from New Orleans by Teressa MacHugh. And further up on Congress St., at Mike's Rock n' Roll Deli are photos of Portland by Braelyn Degnan.

Downtown Showdown, yes; Winterush, uh, maybe.

Last year it was lack of snow, this year lack of money.   While there is suppose to be a Winterush this year in Deering Oaks - they have put up the banner near City Hall - there are no actual events planned.  The website (as of this posting) still just has last year's cancellation notice. The Downtown Showdown, thanks to corporate sponsors, is a go.

Almost a month away, there is no schedule of events and DeLuca said budget cuts mean it will be smaller than the week-long WinteRush that exploded across the city two years ago.

"We don't have a lot of money. We need to be very frugal," DeLuca said. "The good part of a recreation staff is we can do a lot on a shoestring budget." PressHerald

State Theatre doing Rocky Horror Picture Show

"The State Theatre presents a special screening of the greatest cult film of all-time. Arrive in costume and get ready to dance the 'Time Warp'. The always provocative Dirty Dishes Burlesque Troupe will be your guides for the evening’s entertainment. So, whether you’ve seen the film 100 times before or are a Rocky Horror Virgin, this will be a night to remember.

From the beginning, 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' was a cult smash. Over the past 30 years, it has become participatory live theater in the extreme."

Saturday, October 30 2010
Doors: 7:00pm
Tickets $10
ALL AGES

Vote for your Favorite Locals

Voting is still open for this year's Indie Biz Awards. And come out to SPACE on the 13th to celebrate the winners, and enjoy some great local food and music (get tickets here).

"Reading through this year's list of nominees reminded of us of just how great Portland is. Help us honor and celebrate the local businesses and nonprofits that make this a terrific place to live by voting for your favorites in the 2010 Indie Biz Awards.

Get Your Pride On

24th Annual Southern Maine Pride Parade & Festival

Update on WinteRush

Portland WinteRush 2010:

"Today, the City of Portland announced the cancellation of the majority of Portland WinteRush events scheduled for this Saturday. The PolarBear 5K, sponsored by Tri-Maine and Freezin for a Reason, Maine Polar Plunge to benefit Camp Sunshine, will still go ahead as planned. All other events, however, have been canceled due to the lack of snow."

Bayside World Market and Fair

Saturday at Portland High School. More at the website.

The event will be from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will feature singers, dancers, speakers, food and craft booths, flea market items and children’s activities.

Performances will include Brazilian and Serbian folk dancing and drumming by the Joyful Hearts Club Band.

Several new Mainers will share stories of how they arrived in Portland, including Iranian immigrant Reza Jalali and Portland Police Chief James Craig. - Press Herald

Maine African Film Festival

Runs April 17-24 in Portland. See the full schedule here:

"The Inaugural Maine African Film Festival will begin on Friday, April 17th, first with an opening night reception at the Language Exchange with an African Photography Exhibit. This is followed immediately with the film African Unite at the Nickelodeon the same night. Festival gets into its full swing Saturday, April 18th through Friday, April 24th both at Nickelodeon and the Children's Museum and Theater with a total of 27 Films (Feature, Documentary, Animation, Shorts and Panel Discussions). The Festival closes on Friday, April 24th at White Heart Bar and Lounge, with a celebration of African Music with New York's DJ Frank of Voodoo Funk. The majority of the Films to be shown at the 2009 Maine African Film Festival have been selected through the New York African Film Festival's Travel Series Program."

Laser Fest Returns

Because it is apparently fairly popular.

"The University of Southern Maine Southworth Planetarium at 96 Falmouth St. will once again offer a Laser Fest Week, when the public can experience the Full Dome laser shows that more than 1,300 people attended at Laser Fest during February school vacation week."

That WinteRush Thing

Avery provides some good shots of what's going on over at Lincoln Park.

Each day of the week will bring new sights to see. According to Ed Jarrett, president of the Maine Snow & Ice Sculpting Foundation, 'it's sort of like an ice museum over here, we keep adding to the exhibits.'

And should you be wondering when to go, Jarrett says 'viewing it at night is when we get the biggest wow factor.'

The expo is open from 10 am-10 pm daily, through Valentine's Day. Tickets cost $3 for adults, $1 for kids under 18 and are free for kids 3 and under. It's definitely a cool show you won't want to miss.