• BENEFITS

TODAY

Rippleffect Gala, dancing, food, raffle and live auction, benefits Rippleffect Scholarship Program, Ocean Gateway Terminal, Portland. $50. rippleeffect.net. 6 to 10 p.m.

FRIDAY

Coos Canyon Band, benefit concert and silent auction, benefits Scarborough High competition choir, Scarborough High School. $10. 318-6637. 8 p.m.

Kelly Parker Band, country music concert, benefits Mexico (Maine) Police Explorer programs, Mountain Valley High School, Rumford. $10/donation. 871-7876. 8 p.m.

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Sneak Preview of Lewiston/Auburn Film Festival, light refreshments, cash bar, silent auction and trailers of upcoming festival, Royal Oak Room at IronHorse Court, Lewiston. $5/donation. lafilmfestival.org. 5 to 8 p.m.

SATURDAY

Second Annual Mardi Gras Masquerade Ball Fundraiser, live music, vaudeville performances, New Orleans-style appetizers and catered dinner by Portland Pie, benefits Community Partners Inc., Masonic Temple, Portland. $60; $400 for table of eight. cpime.org. 6 to 11:30 p.m.

STRIVE Dance Marathon, live music by Spose, Hello Newman and The 302 Benders, fundraiser for STRIVE, University of Southern Maine (Sullivan Gym), Portland. striverocks.org. 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.

Wescustago Youth Chorale, spaghetti supper serenade, benefits the scholarship fund, Freeport Community Center. $10; $5 for ages 8 and younger. 846-0705. 5 and 7 p.m.

Cabin Fever Breakout Dance, cash bar, light snacks and DJ Thunder, benefits Women in Harmony, Italian Heritage Center, Portland. $15. 441-2507. 7:30 to 11:30 p.m.

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Cabin Fever Cure “Indoor Bazaar,” crafters and flea market tables, benefits circus arts group Woodside One Wheelers, Woodside Elementary School, Topsham. Free admission. 837-8849. 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

TUESDAY

Seventh Annual Go Red for Women Luncheon, with humorist/author Loretta LaRoche, benefits American Heart Association, Holiday Inn by the Bay, Portland. $100. 879-5700. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• FAIRS/FESTIVALS

Wines Around the World, Maine Restaurant Week event; culinary journey to Argentina, Italy, Spain, France and the U.S.; The Inn at Brunswick Station. $45; includes wine, food, tax and tip. 837-6565. 6 p.m. today.

First Round at the Danforth, Maine Restaurant Week event; three nights of tastings led by chef Lee Skawinski of Cinque Terre, Danforth Inn, Portland. $25. brownpapertickets.com/event/224656. 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. today to Saturday.

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Camden Gourmet Adventure, Maine Restaurant Week event; travel to different restaurants and a winery for tastings, begins at Camden Harbor Landing. $79 (includes transportation, food, after-party and tip). mainerestaurantweek.com. 5:30 p.m. March 8.

• SPECIAL EVENTS

TODAY

Maine Beer Co. Beer Dinner, four-course dinner paired with beers from Maine Beer Co., 50 Local, Kennebunk. $55, includes tax and tip. localkennebunk.com. 6 p.m.

SATURDAY

New Gloucester History Barn Open House, displays about New Gloucester veterans, new acquisitions and historical archival photographs, New Gloucester Historical Society (History Barn). Free. 926-3188. 9 a.m. to noon.

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Wabanaki Nature Legends, short walk on White Pines Trail with stops for stories based on Wabanaki legends, meet at benches by second parking lot, Wolfe’s Neck Farm, Freeport. Free with park admission. 865-4465. 2 p.m.

“A Decade Downtown,” celebrate 10 years of Gardiner Main Street with music by The Rattlesnake Mountain Boys, beer and wine tasting, food and more, Johnson Hall Performing Arts Center, Gardiner. $10 in advance; $12 day of event. gardinermainstreet.org. 3 to 5 p.m.

International Women’s Day Celebration, food and fashions from more than 50 countries, Woodfords Club, Portland. $15. 671-1164. 5 to 8 p.m.

SUNDAY

Shape Note Singing, everyone welcome to participate, The New Church, Portland. Free/donation. 216-3890. 1 to 4 p.m.

MONDAY

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Storytime in the Garden, stories for children read by Pat Jeremiah, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay. Free. 633-4333. 10 a.m.

WEDNESDAY

Portland Flower Show, opening night gala and awards ceremony, Portland Company Complex. $30 in advance; $45 at door. portlandcompany.com/flower. 6 to 9 p.m.

MARCH 8

Portland Flower Show, guest lecturers, displays, plants and crafts for sale and more, Portland Company Complex. $12 in advance ($13 for seniors); $15 at door; $25 to $50 advance multi-day tickets. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Through March 11.

“Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan,” encore presentation of HD broadcast from U.K. National Gallery, Leura Hill Eastman Performing Arts Center, Fryeburg. $18; $15 for seniors; $10 for students. fryeburgacademy.org/pac. 7:30 p.m.

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• FILMS

TODAY

“Windfall” (2012), documentary about wind power, Skowhegan Free Library. Free. 628-2070. 6 p.m.

“The Prep School Negro” (2011), documentary screening with outreach workshop featuring film director Andre Robert Lee, University of New England (Ludcke Auditorium), Portland. Free. friendsschoolofportland.org. 6 p.m.

“Marion Woodman: Dancing in the Flames” (2009), documentary, Rockland Public Library. Free. 594-0310. 6:30 p.m.

FRIDAY

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2012 Fly Fishing in Maine Film Tour, benefits FFIM Grassroots Grant Fund; Frontier Cafe, Cinema & Gallery, Brunswick. $12 in advance; $15 day of show. explorefrontier.com. 7 p.m. Friday; 4 and 7 p.m. Saturday.

SATURDAY

Longfellow Choral Festival: “Ole Bull’s Fairy Tale,” documentary with English subtitles, Nickelodeon Cinemas, Portland. $8; $5 for students and seniors. longfellowchorus.com. 12:30 p.m.

“Windfall” (2012), documentary about wind power, Strand Theatre, Rockland. $7.50. rocklandstrand.com. 2 p.m. Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday.

SUNDAY

“Windfall” (2012), documentary about wind power, Dirigo High School, Dixfield. Free. 628-2070. 2 p.m.

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“Paul Goodman Changed My Life” (2011), documentary, Meg Perry Center, Portland. $5/donation. megperrycenter.org. 7 p.m.

MONDAY

“An Affair to Remember” (1957), classic romance, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta. $5/donation. 563-5513. 6:30 p.m.

“Festival Express” (2003), rock documentary, One Longfellow Square, Portland. $7. onelongfellowsquare.com. 7 p.m.

“Marx Reloaded” (2011), cultural documentary about Karl Marx, Space, Portland. $7. space538.org. 7:30 p.m.

Global Lens International Films Series: “Soul of Sand” (2010, India, in Hindi with English subtitles), Bates College (Olin Arts Center), Lewiston. Free. 786-6158. 7 p.m.

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TUESDAY

“Forks Over Knives” (2011), documentary, Louis T. Graves Library, Kennebunkport. Free. graveslibrary.org. 7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY

“Windfall” (2012), documentary about wind power, University of Maine (Lincoln Auditorium), Farmington. Free. 628-2070. 7 p.m.

Global Lens International Films Series: “Opera Jawa” (2006, Indonesia, in Indonesian with English subtitles), Bates College (Olin Arts Center), Lewiston. Free. 786-6158. 7 p.m.

• BOOKS/AUTHORS

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FRIDAY

Friday Local Author Series, with Carla Maria Verdino-Sullwold, author of “Raising Rufus: A Maine Love Story,” Portland Public Library. Free. portlandlibrary.com. Noon.

Elizabeth Peavey, author of “Glorious Slow Going,” Schoolhouse Gallery, Kingfield. schoolhousegallery.com. 6 p.m.

SATURDAY

“Archie” Comics Artist Dan Parent, meet-and-greet and signing, Casablanca Comics, Portland. Free. casablancacomics.com. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Howie Carr, author of “Hard Knocks,” Nonesuch Books, South Portland. nonesuchbooks.com. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

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Sixteenth Annual Children’s Book Character Party with Olivia the Piglet, storytelling, cookie decoration and more, Colby Bookstore, Waterville. Free; tickets required. 859-5400. 1 to 3 p.m.

SUNDAY

Barbara Walsh, author of “August Gale: A Father and Daughter’s Journey into the Storm,” Maine Irish Heritage Center, Portland. mainemaritimemuseum.org. 2 p.m.

WEDNESDAY

Earl Smith, author of “The Dam Committee,” Portland Public Library (Rines Auditorium). Free. portlandlibrary.com. Noon.

MARCH 8

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Kate Braestrup, author of “Here If You Need Me,” University of Maine (Nadeau Hall), Fort Kent. 834-7586. 7 p.m.

Justin Tussing, author of “The Best People in the World,” Bates College (Edmund S. Muskie Archives), Lewiston. Free. 786-6256. 7:30 p.m.

Arabic Poetry Reading to Celebrate International Women’s Day, bring poetry in Arabic or translated, Lewiston Public Library. (213) 221-5432. 2 to 4 p.m.

• PRO SPORTS

Portland Pirates, AHL affiliate of the Phoenix Coyotes, Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland. $12 to $20. portlandpirates.com. Vs. Connecticut, 7 p.m. Friday; Vs. Worcester, 4 p.m. Sunday.

Maine Red Claws, NBA Development League affiliate of the Celtics, Bobcats and 76ers, Portland Exposition Building. $6 to $30. 210-6655. nba.com/dleague. Vs. Springfield, 7 p.m. Friday and 5 p.m. Sunday.

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• PARTICIPANT DANCE

Swing Dance, live music by Delta Knights, Wescustogo Hall, North Yarmouth. $8. 653-5012. Lesson at 7 p.m., dance at 8 p.m. Friday.

Contra Dance, bring clean non-street shoes for dancing, live music by Perpetual e-Motion and calling by Kim Roberts, Falmouth Congregational Church. $5 to $10; free for children under 5. 358-9354. 7:15 p.m. Saturday.

Contradance, with the Big Moose Contra Dance Band and caller Chrissy Fowler, College of the Atlantic (Gates Center), Bar Harbor. coa.edu. Lessons at 7:30 p.m., dance at 8 p.m. Saturday.

International Folk Dance, dances from the Balkans, Israel, France, Greece and around the world, The New Church, Portland. $5; $3 for children. 776-5351. 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday.

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