Events
February 5 – Skowhegan’s 200th Birthday
February 6
Skowhegan Birthday Cake Celebration
Municipal Building Skowhegan, ME |3 p.m.
February 8
Bicentennial Committee Meeting
Skowhegan Center for Entrepreneurship, 181 Water St.| 3 p.m.
February 17-26th
Somerset SnowFest Presented by Main Street Skowhegan and Lake George Regional Park
March 22nd
9th Annual Abner Coburn Day Hosted by Skowhegan Heritage Council
Skowhegan Free Public Library, 9 Elm Street | 2:30-4:00 p.m.
A tribute to the life and accomplishments of Governor Abner Coburn and all of his contributions to the town. Light refreshments provided.
March 31st
Nathan Scholl, Geo-Archaeologist/Principal Investigator Presentation Hosted by the History House
Skowhegan Free Public Library, 9 Elm Street | 7 p.m.
Nathan Scholl, Geo-Archaeologist/Principal Investigator, worked from 2019- 2021 for a consulting firm specializing in cultural resources management and historic preservation services. His presentation will feature findings from his Shawmut Dam and adjoining riverside property digs. The unearthed artifacts relate to the 1809 Philbrick pottery factory and could relate to artifacts from Benedick Arnold’s army as it moved upriver through Skowhegan towards Quebec in 1775.
April 26th
Maine Guide Carroll Ware Book Signing & Storytelling
Margaret Chase Smith Library | 6-7:30 pm
In conjunction with the President Eisenhower exhibit on loan from the Rangeley Lakes Historical Society, Maine Guide Carroll Ware will be telling stories concerning his outdoor experiences and signing his book On the Wrong Side of the River: Stories from a Maine Guide. Books can be purchased at the event for $15.00.
May 6
Hope Garden Walking Tour
Maine Grains | 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
As part of the Yellow Tulip Project, Hope Gardens help promote the effort in reducing stigma, spreading hope, and building a community around mental illness to that people know there is always help and hope, and that no one should ever suffer alone. Join us as we visit Hope Gardens around Skowhegan. All who have been affected by mental illness, or wish to spread awareness, are invited to attend the Walking Tour.
Friday, May 19 & Saturday, May 20
Annual Cornville 10 Mile Yard Sale
Centenary United Methodist Church
Table space available by calling 431-9160
May 25th
Maine Town Meeting-Decisions & Direction of the Supreme Court
Margaret Chase Smith Library | 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Featuring Prof. James Melcher, Political Science, University of Maine at Farmington & Dean Dmitry Bam, University of Maine School of Law.
June 20th
Skowhegan Bicentennial – Book Discussion Series Comfort Is an Old Barn: Stories from the Heart of Maine (2022) by Amy Calder
Margaret Chase Smith Library | 6:30 p.m.
Book talk and signing with the author!
June 27th
Slime Program
Margaret Chase Smith Library |1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
June 29th
History Walk with Melvin Burnham | North Cemetery | 10:00 am
Coburn Park Concerts in the Park (their 29th year!)
Sundays 5 – 6:15 pm
- July 2 – Kennebec Performing Arts
- July 9 – Brian Richmond
- July 16 – Country Comfort
- July 23 – Merry-Go-Roundup
- July 30 – Bob Lovelace
- August 6 – Barbie’s Sing-a-Long
- August 13 – Borderline Express
- August 20 – Skowhegan Community Band
- August 27 – Sunday Project
July 18th
Skowhegan Bicentennial – Book Discussion Series
Polly’s Secret: A Story of the Kennebec (1902) by Harriet A. Nash
Margaret Chase Smith Library | 6:30 p.m.
Book available to read at https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ptid=mdp.39076002156243&view=1up&seq=18
July 20
The Rise and Fall of a Commodious Hall presented by Melvin Burnham, local historian
Historical Presentation in Celebration of Skowhegan’s Bicentennial
25 Commercial Street, Skowhegan | 6:30pm
July 25th
Lecture on Skowhegan Architecture by Earle Shettleworth
The Margaret Chase Smith Library invites you to an illustrated talk on Skowhegan’s architectural history by Earle Shettleworth on Tuesday, July 25th at 6 PM. Shettleworth possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of the topic, having headed the Maine Historic Preservation Commission for four decades. Currently, he is the Maine State Historian.
The program is being presented as part of the celebration of the town’s bicentennial in 2023. For a complete list of Library programming during the year, see the attached file.
Margaret Chase Smith Library | 6 p.m.
August
Wabanaki Fancy Basket Collection on Exhibit
Lee Granville Gallery at Skowhegan History House
These beautiful baskets are on display in the Lee Granville Gallery at Skowhegan History House. Please stop by during open hours to take a look. The baskets will be on display through September 29.
For more information about Larry and Debbie Onie and the Wabanaki Fancy Basket Collection, visit https://www.wabanakifancybaskets.com and be sure to visit History House before September 29.
Barry Dana: Pre-Contact View of Traditional Wabanaki Lands
Also on display, this summer in the Lee Granville Gallery is a large, oil-on-canvas painting by Barry Dana, former Chief of the Penobscot Nation. When Barry Dana was commissioned to paint a series of murals, the former Chief of the Penobscot Nation wrestled with the request for preliminary sketches. “I didn’t want to create sketches; I wanted to have a direct experience with my subject and I wanted to create an experience for viewers.”
August 1st
Planetarium Programs
Margaret Chase Smith Library | 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
August 1-6
Skowhegan River Fest presented by Skowhegan Savings Bank
August 3
August 5
Dinner in the Park presented by Main Street Skowhegan
August 6
Skowhegan Bicentennial Celebration – Celebrating 200 years!
Coburn Park | 12-4 p.m.
August 15th
Skowhegan Bicentennial – Book Discussion Series
The Golden Boys and Their New Electric Cell (1922) by Levi Parker Wyman
Margaret Chase Smith Library | 6:30 p.m.
Book available for free at
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39076002156243&view=1up&seq=18
Wabanaki Fancy Basket Presentation
Tuesday, August 15 | 7 pm
Larry and Debbie Onie are presenting a talk on their Wabanaki Fancy Basket Collection at the Center for All Seasons, 1 Center Drive, Belgrade Lakes, Maine. This talk is sponsored by the Belgrade Historical Society. Hope to see you there!
August 24th
Skowhegan Falls History Walk in Celebration of Skowhegan’s Bicentennial
Thursday, August 24 | 10:00 am
Location: Benedict Arnold Park behind the Federated Church, Island Avenue, Skowhegan, Maine.
Guide: Melvin Burnham, Local Historian
August 26th
Margaret Chase Smith Appreciation Day
Margaret Chase Smith Library | 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Food, Fun, and Games!
September 2
Skowhegan Craft Brew Festival presented by Main Street Skowhegan
September 19th
Skowhegan Bicentennial – Book Discussion Series
Arundel (1929) by Kenneth Roberts
Margaret Chase Smith Library | 6:30 p.m.
Book available at https://www.fadedpage.com/showbook.php?pid=20180319
September 26th
September 26th | 6:30 PM
The Library will host a lecture by University of Maine historian Daniel Soucier on this march to Canada undertaken by a thousand soldiers during the fall of 1775.
October 7th & 8th
Maine’s Garlic Fest
Lake George Regional Park
October 17th
Modern Maine Authors – Book Discussion Series
Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty
Margaret Chase Smith Library | 6:30 p.m.
November 14th
Modern Maine Authors – Book Discussion Series
Mill Town by Kerri Arsenault
Margaret Chase Smith Library | 6:30 p.m.
November 25
Small Business Saturday presented by the Skowhegan Center for Entrepreneurship
November 25-December 2
#ShopSmall Week presented by American Express
December 1
SKOW-Whoville Parade presented by Main Street Skowhegan| Downtown Skowhegan
December 2
SKOW-Whoville Stroll presented by Main Street Skowhegan
December 27th
Modern Maine Authors – Book Discussion Series
Beneficence by Meredith Hall
Margaret Chase Smith Library | 6:30 p.m.
Email tenley@mainstreetskowhegan.org to add your event to this 2023 schedule!
