Doug Swift and Sheila McKinley of the band Truth About Daisies perform for a crowd during last year’s Porchfest. Carl D. Walsh/Staff Photographer
5-10 p.m. Aug. 28, Maine Night at the Thomas Point Beach Bluegrass Festival, 29 Meadow Road, Brunswick. thomaspointbeachbluegrass.com
Four Maine-based bands – Flight 317 with Carter Logan, Back Woods Road, Old Eleven and Sandy River Ramblers – play in the pine groves in an evening of music dedicated to the Pine Tree State. Tickets are $15 at the gate (or included with a four-day pass to the festival).
Noon to 5 p.m. Sept. 8, Porchfest, Deering Center, Portland. On Facebook.
Portland’s Deering Center neighborhood hosts this informal and completely free musical smorgasbord on porches and lawns. There’s a short parade on Brentwood Street at 12:15 p.m., followed by piano players who live on Alba Street opening their windows and playing at about 12:30 p.m. For the next four or five hours, dozens of acts pop up, everything from a steel drum band and bluegrass to ukuleles, spoken word poetry and church gospel. Schedule info will be posted on the Facebook page for Deering Center Porchfest, but much of the magic happens between Lincoln Middle School and Evergreen Cemetery. Bikes, skateboards and scooters are handy.
A crowd gathers at Portland Head Light during Maine Open Lighthouse Day. Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer
Sept. 14, Maine Open Lighthouse Day at Portland Head Light, 1000 Shore Road, Cape Elizabeth. portlandheadlight.com
Portland Head Light, the oldest lighthouse in Maine, is one of the area’s most popular tourist attractions. But only once a year on Maine Open Lighthouse Day is the public allowed up the more than 85 steps into the light tower for free. The trick is that 280 timed tickets are made available to visitors on a first-come, first-served basis the day of the event. People start lining up as early as 7 a.m., and by 9:30 a.m. some years, the tickets are already gone.
Sept. 22-28, Cumberland County Fair. See featured event.
11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sept. 28, Maine Lakes Brewfest, Point Sebago, Route 302, Casco.
The biggest beer festival in the Lakes Region features live music, 35 brewers and 15 food vendors on a Sebago Lake beach during fall foliage season. For tickets: mainelakeschamber.com. Parking is $5.
Oct. 4-6, Freeport Fall Festival, hosted at the L.L.Bean Flagship Campus, Freeport. freeportfallfestival.com
Showcasing the work of 150 Maine creative types, this three-day artisan fair includes Maine food, music and fun for the whole family.
Noon to 4 p.m. Oct. 20, Harvest on the Harbor Market, Brick South, 8 Thompson Point Road, Portland. harvestontheharbor.com
Shop, sip and nosh through this casual culinary adventure, the final (and most affordable) event in the four-day Harvest on the Harbor food and spirit festival. Tickets are $25-35, depending on entry times.
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