Bruce Bourque, Maine State Museum chief archaeologist, will be at Patten Free Library in Bath at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5 to sign and talk about his new book “The Swordfish Hunters: The History and Ecology of an Ancient American Sea People.”

“The Swordfish Hunters” explores the story of the mysterious Red Paint People.

“I have been intrigued by the Red Paint People and their unusual culture throughout my career,” Bourque said. “They lived by the sea and hunted swordfish. They buried their dead in large, orderly cemeteries that included graves filled with a brilliant red powder, known as ochre, along with stone tools and bone ornaments of exquisite beauty and craftsmanship. After five hundred years, these people mysteriously vanished.”

“Interwoven with the story of the Red Paint People is one of scientific growth and evolution,” he said. “Archaeologists have adopted new research models in collaboration with a broad range of natural sciences to flesh out the story of a remarkable prehistoric culture, centered exclusively in Maine.”

“Bruce Bourque’s ‘The Swordfish Hunters’ captivated me as no recent book has,” said University of Maine professor of marine sciences Robert Steneck. “I could not put it down.”

“Thousands of years ago, Maine’s Red Paint People were among the first maritime cultures in the Americas,” said Steneck. “They could have subsisted on easily caught cod, but they chose to capture dangerous and elusive swordfish.

“Bourque explains beautifully the prehistory of these people, the evolution of archaeological thinking about them, and the myriad new scientific threads that shed new light on this old culture. Anyone with even a passing interest in New England’s deep maritime roots must read this book.”

In addition to his work at the Maine State Museum, Bourque teaches anthropology at Bates College. He lives in Freeport.

‘Twelfth Night’ coming to Gardiner

GARDINER — The Theater at Monmouth will present “Twelfth Night” at Johnson Hall in Gardiner.

The William Shakespeare drama, directed by James Noel Hoban and presented by The Theater at Monmouth, will be performed at Johnson Hall Performing Arts Center, 280 Water St., at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2. Doors open at 7 p.m.

Shakespeare’s rollicking tale of wild infatuation and mistaken identities — Twelfth Night is set at Illyria University where Orsino pines for the love of Olivia. At sister school Illyria College for Women, Olivia mourns her late brother and rejects all suitors under the watchful eye of her stern headmaster, Malvolio. When shipwrecked and separated twins Viola and Sebastian arrive on the scene mayhem and misadventureensue.

The Theater at Monmouth’s production is part of the Shakespeare for a New Generation, a national program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.

Tickets are $16 for Adults, $14 for Seniors and $12 for Children 12 and under.

Tickets can be purchased in advance on-line at www.johnsonhall.org or by calling the Johnson Hall Box-Office at 582-7144.

Mexico, mentors, jesters and mimes

FREEPORT — Maine native Randy Judkins will present his one-man show “Mexico, Mentors, Jesters and Mimes!” at the Freeport Theater of Awesome at 7 p.m., Friday Nov. 8 and 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9.

This multi-character but still only one man performance will feature “eye-popping, award-winning juggling, mystifying magic, playful audience participation and tons of family friendly comedy,” according to an event announcement.

Judkins has been performing for more than 35 years, and has instructed at the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey’s Clown College in Florida, The Juilliard School of Drama in New York City and has served as a character consultant for Tri-Star Pictures and a Circus of the Stars trainer in Hollywood.

Tickets are $12 for all ages in advance for the 2 p.m. performances. For the 7 p.m. performances the tickets are $12 for seniors and children 12 and under, and $17 for adults in advance. For more information, call 518-8839.

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