Things To Do This Weekend, June 22-24: Yep, it’s summer.

1. With the longest day of the year now officially behind us, it’s all downhill from here, right? HECK NO! The Queen City is alive with fun this weekend, starting with the final two days of the Northern Writes New Works Festival at the Bangor Opera House. Aside from the play readings all afternoon and evening, there’s two big events at night. On Friday, When Particles Collide has a CD release party at 9 p.m., featuring an array of local talent, while on Saturday Her Majesty’s Cabaret – of which yours truly is a part – will perform its latest show, “Sells Out,” also at 9 p.m. Admission to both shows is $10. Elsewhere in Bangor, there’s karaoke on Friday night and River Bottom Funk on Saturday at Paddy’s; Nocturnem hosts country-punkers The Larks on Friday, and at Ipanema, it’s DJ Paul Wolfe on Friday and Live Wire on Saturday. Local arts magazine Tarratine hosts a dance party on Friday night at the Main Tavern, and of course, on the Bangor Waterfront the Beach Boys will perform with all surviving original members. Phew!

2. Portland suffers the same fate of being too awesome. At Empire, there’s Dark Hollow Bottling Company and Hot Day at the Zoo on Friday, followed by Soft Bullets, Sea Level and Jeff Beam on Saturday. Space Gallery hosts Balkan duo Cinder Conk (pictured) with violinist Ben Russell on Friday, and the epic dance party Soul Clap takes over on Saturday. At the State Theater this weekend, rapper Atmosphere is set for Friday, and rockers Halestorm are on the bill Saturday. At Geno’s Friday night it’s time for punk rock with the Crimson Ghosts, the Outfits and the Hot Tarts. There’s also two CD release parties at The Big East this weekend; Darien Brahms on Friday and the Fogcutters Big Band on Saturday. And out in Biddeford, the Oak and the Ax feature Chriss Sutherland, Redwing Blackbird and Christine Hayward on Friday, and Dilly Dilly, Kingsley Flood and Max Garcia Conover on Saturday.

3. This Friday, Rock City Cafe hosts Waldo County’s own Odlaw, while at Myrtle Street Tavern in Rockland there’s 90s covers band Hello Newman. On MDI there’s a night of epic indie rock, with Rusty Belle and Coke Weed at the Lompoc Cafe in Bar Harbor on Friday night, as well as the Blood Orange Martinis at the Thirsty Whale on Friday, and on Saturday night the Mallett Brothers Band play at Carmen Verandah. Also on Saturday night there’s a benefit concert at The Neighborhood House in Northeast Harbor, featuring Portland power pop band Theodore Treehouse (their album cover is pictured above).

4. Orono pulls out all the stops again with the second annual Stillwater Artsapalooza, set for 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday at multiple locations throughout downtown Orono. There’s performances from the Robinson Ballet, a Story Slam, musical theatre and plays from area high schools, rock from the Blast Addicts, poetry readings from the Puckerbrush Review, bluegrass from the Park Street Pickers, violin and voice recitals, and much, much more. In fact, you can read a whole schedule right here: http://stillwatercommunityarts.org/2012/06/21/stillwater-artsapalooza-schedule/. Enjoy!

5. Listen up, Mooseketeers: The 2012 Moose Lottery Festival is set for Friday to Sunday in and around the town of Rangeley. Festival headquarters are at Oquossic Marine, but there are events in locations all over the place. If you’re a fishing, hunting or outdoors enthusiast, then you’ve definitely come to the right place; whether you enter the fishing derby, try your hand at moose calling, listen to some stories from the Maine woods or just enjoy checking out all the sights and things to learn, it’s quite a weekend. Oh, and my BDN buddies Aislinn Sarnacki and John Holyoke will be there; say hi to them if you see them! For a full list of events, visit rangeleyoutdoors.com. 

Emily Burnham

About Emily Burnham

Emily Burnham is a Maine native, UMaine graduate, proud Bangorian and a writer for the Bangor Daily News, where she's worked since 2004. She reports on everything from local bands to local food to all the cool things going on in the Greater Bangor area. In her quest for stories, she's seen countless concerts and plays, been lobster fishing, interviewed celebrities, hung out with water buffalo and played in a ukulele orchestra. She's interested in everything that happens in Maine.