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THURSDAY, JULY 24

Chris Korzen, co-founder and executive director of Catholics United, won't have to travel far to promote his book "A NATION FOR ALL: How the Catholic vision of the Common Good can save America from the Politics of Division." The Munjoy Hill resident and graduate of the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies will head to Book Etc on Exchange Street for a 7-8 pm book event tonight. Come meet him and learn about his nonpartisan online advocacy group which is dedicated to promoting social justice and the common good in U.S. public policy.

Do public displays of art matter? MECA Assistant Professor Christina Bechstein will answer that question and many more in her lecture, "MAKING IT PUBLIC: WHY PUBLIC ART MATTERS," sponsored by the Maine Center for Creativity. The event takes place at the SoPo Community Center from 7-8 pm and is free and open to the public. Bechstein will take questions following her 45-minute talk.

Singer-songwriter DAN MERRILL grew up in North Yarmouth and he's back in town tonight for a free 7 pm show at the Band Stand on the Village Green. Bring a lawn chair or blanket and enjoy his acoustic pop and folk tunes, influenced by the likes of JT and Joe Walsh.

FRIDAY, JULY 25

Wisconsin's BON IVER stole the show during a winter opening for Black Mountain and couldn't wait to come back to SPACE Gallery. Frontman Justin Vernon offers up songs from the group's latest album, "For Emma, Forever Ago," singing in falsetto about past reflections and the natural surroundings, while strumming acoustics. The BOWERBIRDS make their Portland debut to open the 9:30 pm 18+ show. Doors are at 9 pm and tickets are $10.

No matter how many times you see "GREASE" it's never enough. Check out the Midcoast Youth Theater's teen summer company performance at Mt. Ararat High in Topsham. See which young heartthrob gets to play Danny and who scores Rizzo's role. The show starts at 7 pm and tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students.

If you'd like an intimate setting for your music tonight, head up the hill and visit North Star Music Café for an 8 pm performance by LISA CHRISTIAN. She performed at the 1996 Summer Olympics and with Lillith Fair, opened for Bonnie Raitt, Sarah McLachlan and Queen Latifah, and you can see her while enjoying your favorite local microbrew. A donation gets you in the door.

Oh won't you stay-ay-ay JULY 25 The Associated Press describes TIFT MERRIT as a little bit Jackson Browne, a touch of Norah Jones and a dose of Feist. This Grammy-nominated songstress will show off her voice and her guitar work at The Big Easy at 9 pm tonight. Tickets are $12 at the door for the 21+ experience that shouldn't be missed. Find out more at www.bigeasyportland.com.

SATURDAY, JULY 26

If you never got over your childhood goal of growing up to be a train conductor, your dream can still come true. The Maine NARROW GAUGE RAILROAD & MUSEUM is holding an open house from 10 am-noon today to recruit volunteers. Opportunities include: Train crew, track and locomotive maintenance, restoration and painting, museum shop attendant, guides, hosts and more. Chug on down to 58 Fore St. and check it out.

This is your last chance to catch "SALT WATER MOON," a gently humorous but deeply affecting play at Saco River Grange Hall in Bar Mills. The story is set in 1926 Newfoundland, which is reeling from the aftermath of WWI. With her family in shambles, young Mary Snow must decide between her love for unpredictable Jacob Mercer or the stability of a marriage proposal from the local schoolmaster. Adult tickets are $15. Call 929-5412 for yours.

After months of gathering submissions from youth, ages 12-24, from all over the country, a group of Maine-based youth editors have created a performance piece that focuses on the issues of what allies mean to young people growing up queer or questioning. Hear the monologues, poems and spoken word pieces of "QUESTIONS & ANSWERS ON LOVE, LIFE AND ACCEPTANCE" at SPACE Gallery tonight at 7:30 pm. Donations will be accepted at the door.

For some family-friendly music, head out to North Star Music Café for an 8 pm show with MOTHER-DAUGHTER STRING BAND. Lyn Hardy & Abby Newton and their daughters, Ruth Ungar Merenda & Rosie Newton, make up the band featuring fiddles, cello, guitar, steel ukelele, banjo and lots of great singing on old and new folk repertoire. Opening the show is Boston's STEVEN BACON, described as "a deep clear, cool pool of songwriting talent." There's a $10 cover at the door.

Wherefore art thou? JULY 26 Charles Gounod's acclaimed "ROMEO ET JULIETTE" comes to Merrill Auditorium tonight under the direction of Dona D. Vaughn and guest conductor Israel Gursky. Presented by PORTopera, tickets for the 7:30 pm show range from $29-$70. Go to www.portopera.org to order yours. There's also a show on July 24 at 7:30 pm.

SUNDAY, JULY 27

Rev up your engine for the Fifth Annual Mackworth Island SHOW & SHINE to benefit The Foundation for Maine's Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children. There will be live music, food and cars to check out from 10 am-2 pm. Enter your car starting at 8:30 am.

Peep! Peep! Thomas the Tank Engine is set to roll into Boothbay for the DAY OUT WITH THOMAS 2008: The Great Discovery Tour. The event, which also takes place Aug. 1-3, is hosted by Boothbay Railway Village. Take a 25-minute ride with Thomas, meet Sir Topham Hat and enjoy stories and live music. The cost is $18 for those ages 2 and up and tickets can be purchased at www.railwayvillage.org.

MONDAY, JULY 28

Meet visiting artist and RISD teacher Nina Katchadourian at 6:30 pm at SPACE Gallery as part of MECA'S FREE SUMMER EVENTS. Katchadourian spends part of each year on a small island in the Finnish archipelago where she summered as a child. Her work includes photography, sculpture, video and sound. Her projects include "The Mended Spiderweb" series, comprised of using red sewing thread to repair broken spiderwebs and "Natural Car Alarms," in which she replaced car alarms with similar ones made only of bird calls.

If you're in the mood for some classy music, drive out to the St. Joseph's College campus in Standish for a concert by the PORTLAND STRING QUARTET at 7:30 pm. The concert will be played in the Viola George Auditorium of Harold Alfond Hall and $20 tickets are available at the door.

TUESDAY, JULY 29

Looking for a Tuesday night freebie? Make the quick drive to Falmouth to meet former Maine newspaper publisher and author Bill Patten as he signs copies of his memoir, "MY THREE FATHERS: And the Elegant Deceptions of My Mother, Susan Mary Alsop," at Books Etc. The 6:30 pm event at 240 U.S. Rte. 1 is free and open to the public.

Who doesn't love a romantic Maine sunset? Take your honey on tonight's SUNSET CANOE TOUR at Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center from 7-8:30 pm. Paddling through the marsh in the evening gives you the chance to watch herons, ducks and shorebirds returning to their roosts for the night. It's just $12 for adults and $10 for kids — if you can't find a babysitter.

After your canoe trip, zip up to SPACE Galley for the 9 pm show by San Fran's VETIVER, which offers up a new CD, "Things of the Past," featuring covers of some of the band members' favorite tunes. Also in on the act will be ARBOREA and SAINT DISASTER. Doors are at 8:30 pm and admission is $8 for those 18+. Get tickets at Bull Moose or at www.space538.org.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 30

According to her website, BROOKE BROWN SARACINO "tours the folk clubs, coffee houses, bars, churches and living rooms of New England." Tonight she's making a stop at One Longfellow Square in Portland along with CHRIS PUREKA for an 8 pm show. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door and there's a full bar on site for your drinking pleasure. Get tickets at www.onelongfellowsquare.com or by calling 761-1757.

THURSDAY, JULY 31

If you have a hankering for some ballet but don't want to shell out big bucks, you're in luck. Get your fix for free at Falmouth Memorial Library today at 4 pm when members of MAINE STATE BALLET COMPANY show up to present music, costumes and dancing from their latest production, "Don Quixote," as part of the group's "Recipe for Ballet" series. You, and the rest of the public, are welcome.

Freebies are everywhere tonight so after your ballet experience head to Monument Square for the ALIVE AT FIVE series from 5-8 pm. Tonight's tunes come from Trumystic, a reggae/dance band, and local standouts Sly-Chi. Sing, dance and visit the Shipyard beer garden.

If you'd rather laugh than jam to reggae, head over to Margaritas on Brown Street in Portland to witness the finale of the COMB OVERS FOR KIDS fund-raiser from 5-8 pm. Watch as Marcus Payne and Allen Fritzler (who for the past six months have grown comb overs to rival the one sported by the Sierra Mist guy) shave their heads. Donations accepted for the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital and the Children's Miracle Network.

For more cheap entertainment — but a dose that will make you think — head over to SPACE Gallery for the 7:30 pm showing of "OPERATION FILMMAKER." Rolling Stone's Peter Travers says of this film created by an Iraqi film student "rescued" by Americans: "This gut punch of a documentary will knock you for a loop. File it under 'no good deed goes unpunished.'" Doors are at 7 pm and tickets are $7 at www.brownpapertickets.com.

FRIDAY, AUG 1

L.L. Bean is the place to be today from 10 am-noon to catch Winthrop resident LYNN PLOURDE as she signs copies of her new children's book, "At One: In a place called Maine." The author of "Pigs in the Mud in the Middle of the Rud" calls this book her love letter to the state of Maine. Come meet her and pick up a copy of the book.

For the height of summer, Southworth Planetarium at USM is offering a new type of program. The first annual LAMMAS CELESTIAL POETRY evening fuses the elegant beauty of poetry with the natural wonders of the night sky. Local writers will read poetical works (both theirs and others) about the night sky, stars, planets, nature and mythology, while audience members listen in the star dome theater from 7-8:30 pm. Admission is by donation, but call 780-4249 in advance to reserve your space.

It's August already. Have you had your lobster yet? Time to get on up to Rockland for The Maine Lobster Festival. While you're there catch SUZY BOGGUSS in a show to promote her new CD, "Sweet Danger." The platinum-selling singer, who has collaborated with Vince Gill, Chet Atkins and Willie Nelson, shows off her jazzy side in a 7:30 pm show on the Main Stage that's free for all comers. She'll be joined by Jamie O'Neal, who has written songs for Faith Hill and Reba McEntire and toured with Kenny Chesney and Toby Keith.

Just spank me AUG 1 Fresh from an off-Broadway run of their new stage show, the ASYLUM STREET SPANKERS visit One Longfellow Square for an 8 pm show. The New York Times describes the group as: "Dedicated to acoustic instrumentation, but mischievously unorthodox in every other way." Don't miss this Austin-based group's visit for just $22 in advance and $25 at the door. Go to www.onelongfellowsquare.com for more.

SATURDAY, AUG 2

Here's your chance to support the Chocolate Church Arts Center in Bath at the SECOND ANNUAL PAINT BATH AND MORE event from 4-7 pm at the Winter Street Church. Throughout the day, from 8 am-2 pm, local artists will paint breathtaking views of Bath all around town. You can then get in on the creativity with hors d'oeuvres and a live auction in the evening. Admission to the auction is $15 and you can hang with artists Claudette Gamache, Tina Ingraham, Caren-Marie Michel, Bill Tomsa and many more.

If you're staying around town, cross the bridge and check out the music at Thomas Knight Park in SoPo where BEN KILCOLLINS and SHY GREEN will share the stage from 11:30 am-1:30 pm in a free concert from New England Sound. Kilcollins is a Portlander who plays acoustic rock and alternative tunes and Shy Green is a local folk rock jam band.

Brunonia Barry, a founding member of Portland Stage Company, reads from and signs her new novel, "THE LACE READER," at Books Etc in Portland at 7 pm. The book follows Towner Whitney, the self-confessed unreliable narrator, from a family of Salem, MA women who can read the future in patterns of lace. The event is free and open to the public.

SUNDAY, AUG 3

Fido's probably been spending a lot of time at home while you're out and about enjoying the summer festivities. BARK IN THE PARK is just the ticket to get Fido out of the house with you for the second annual fundraiser to benefit Maine's animal shelters. Dogs and their families are invited to Hadlock Field for an afternoon of baseball. Gates open at 11:45 am and the event gets underway at 12:15 pm with a parade of pups and people led by Slugger. At 1 pm, the Sea Dogs take on the Trenton Thunder. Get your tickets in advance at the Planet Dog store on Marginal Way. Prices are $7 for adults, $7 for dogs and $4 for kids.

Any day is a great day to visit Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens so do it today when "THE FLOWER GIRLS" opens with a 2 pm artist's talk by Patricia MacLean. There's also a reception from 3-5 pm at the Boothbay site. Adult tickets for the gardens are $10.

If interior design is more your thing, check out "Coastal Living" magazine's 2008 IDEA COTTAGE from noon-5 pm at Beachwalk at Pine Point in Scarborough. The home will be featured in the October 2008 issue of "Coastal Living" and this tour benefits Habitat for Humanity of Greater Portland and Safe Passage. Cost is $6.

MONDAY, AUG 4

Circus Smirkus makes its annual stop at Merriconeag Waldorf School in Freeport, but this summer there's a new twist. Cumberland 15-year-old Jared Mongeau, a veteran of Smirkus summer camp, will be among the performers. The theme is "SMIRKUSOLOGY: A SCIENCE EXTRAVAGANZA!" and the story revolves around a team of quirky, crackerjack scientists attempting to formulate the chemical compound of circus. Get $18 adult and $16 kids (ages 2-12) tickets at Royal River Natural Foods in Freeport or at www.smirkus.org. Shows are at 1 pm and 6 pm today and Tuesday.

TUESDAY, AUG 5

Tuesdays are a light day on the events calendar so it's a perfect time to visit "FRIENDS ALWAYS," a traveling exhibition marking the 65th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift on display at Portland International Jetport until Aug. 29. The exhibit, in the Jetport Courtyard on the ground floor of the main terminal building, tells the story of the 15-month period in 1948 when American, French and British forces flew 277,000 flights in and out of Berlin, delivering nearly 2.3 million tons of food to the beleaguered city.

WEDNESDAY, AUG 6

Love to dance? Don't know how but want to learn?  Looking for a partner? Your first stop on Wednesday nights should be at Club 188 on Warren Avenue for LINE DANCE instruction and plenty of fun. Dori Hawxwell, a former New England Line Dance Champion, will walk and talk you through dances, step by step. Beginners dance from 7-8 pm, followed by the intermediate beginner crowd from 8-9. The more advanced hit the floor from 9-9:30 pm. Grab your cowboy hat and boots and dance, dance, dance.

For more events, go to www.mainetoday.com.

Switch-ahead Folks in Ogunquit will be hoping the wind is whipping on Sept. 6 for the FESTIVAL OF KITES right on the beach. It'll be a soaring experience with fabulously designed kites and instruction from a master kite flyer. The event, sponsored by Ogunquit Performing Arts, is free for anyone who wants to join in. If you don't feel like flying, just head down to the sand with a beach chair between 10 am and 1 pm and enjoy all the colors filling the sky. FMI email frances@ogunquit.org.