5 Things To Do This Weekend, Aug. 11-13: What’s on your summer bucket list?

Rotating Taps. Photo by Cara Pelletier.

1. August 11. In three weeks, it’ll be September. A few weeks after that, it’ll be fall. What’s on your summer bucket list? What do you HAVE to do before the leaves start turning? In Bangor this weekend, Celtic ensemble Ruaile Buaile performs at 7 p.m. at the Next Generation Theatre in Brewer, as part of the Bangor Celtic Festiva; River City Cinema screens “50 First Dates” at sundown in Pickering Square. The WWE Live touring show stops in at the Cross Insurance Center on Friday night as well, and later that evening, take your pick from either Buddusky, Ossalot and Wedding Camp at the Central Gallery, vinyl night at Nocturnem Drafthaus, DJ Thermomatt at Paddy Murphy’s, or Full Drive at the Sea Dog. On Saturday, the Sunfish Festival is at the Sea Dog, with Hambone, DJ MC and the Altar Boys starting at 1 p.m. and going all afternoon and evening. That night, They Called Me Legion is at the Central Gallery, Rotating Taps play their last show for the next six months at Mason’s Brewing Company in Brewer, Dave Mello is at Nocturnem, the Youngbloods are at Paddy’s, and Chris Ross and the North are at the Downunder Club at Seasons.

The band Guster performs at the Bangor Waterfront in 2013. Pictured are from left Adam Gardner, Ryan Miller and Luke Reynolds. Photo by Gabor Degre.

2. Yet another overwhelmingly busy weekend in Portland. Let’s start, of course, with Friday. In the larger venues, Highly Suspect with And The Kids are at the State Theatre, Donavon Frankenreiter at Port City Music Hall, Joe Bonamassa at the Maine State Pier, Lightning Bolt, Lingua Ignota and Cadaverette at Space Gallery, and reggae legend Freddie MacGregor at Aura. At your wonderful intimate venues, there’s D. Gross and Los Federales with Emilia Dahlin at Portland House of Music, Megan Jo Wilson at Empire, funk band The New Review at Bayside Bowl, and No Good, Twin Trances and Boom Shanka at Geno’s. On Saturday, Guster plays at Thompson’s Point, with guests Spencer Albee, the Ghost of Paul Revere and the Maine Youth Rock Orchestra; Dopapod and the Christopher Jacques Trio are at Port City, Chris Webby and Spose are at Aura, Syd’s Kid, Squagmire and Lazy Beyond Description are at Portland House of Music, the Muck and the Mires are at Bayside Bowl, and Kings and Liars, Devil’s Night Out and Culling the Herd at Geno’s. On Sunday, comedian Ralphie May is at Aura, the Block the Wind collective showcases its musicians all afternoon at One Longfellow Square, and the Downtown Boys, Bright Boy and Phallus Uber Alles are at the Space Gallery.

3. For your entertainment pleasure on the Midcoast this weekend, on Friday night, guitarist Jim Lord is at Rock City Coffee, and songwriter Sam Whitman is at Rock Harbor Brewing Company, both in Rockland. On Saturday, the third annual Feedback Festival starts at 6 p.m. on Saturday at Waterfall Arts in Belfast, featuring Random Ideas, the Ace Tones, Quantum and Vicky Andres & Life Itself. Further down the coast, songwriters Kate Schrock and Glen DaCosta are at the Camden Opera House, world fusion band Banda Magda is at the Strand Theatre in Rockland, and the Kennebunk River Band is at Rock City Coffee.

4. For your weekly edition of What Festivals Are Happening In Maine This Weekend?, we look west, and north. The seventh annual Redneck Blank — formerly known as the Redneck Olympics, until the International Olympic Committee decided to threaten to sue a tiny, grassroots Maine festival because sure, people would confuse the two — is happening all weekend in Hebron, in Oxford County. What can you expect? Mud runs, bobbing for hog feet, toilet seat horseshoes, a wet t-shirt contest, lots of music, a pig roast, and more. $60 gets you an all-inclusive (minus the $10 pig roast) pass for the weekend. Elsewhere, up in Madawaska, there’s the annual Acadian Festival, with live music, food, dancing, kid’s activities and more, Friday through Sunday. Closer to Bangor, there’s the annual Bucksport Arts Festival, set for all day Saturday, and featuring more than 30 Maine artists and artisans along the Buckports Waterfront. Also on Saturday, at nearby Fort Knox State Park, there’s the annual Paranormal Psychic Fair, with displays on psychics, ghosts, UFOs and cryptozoology.

5. Finally, this is one of the rare years when the annual Perseid Meteor Showers are not only visible to stargazers, but also peaking on a weekend — though the actual peak is set to be early afternoon Saturday, both Friday and Saturday nights will be great times to watch the show. Astronomers recommend settling in to watch after 11 p.m. on Friday, though the pre-dawn hours would be the best, and Saturday night would also be a good bet to spot meteors. Though the information going around social media claiming that this would be the biggest year in modern history for the Perseids has since been debunked, it’s still going to be a great time to look to the skies. Neat, huh?

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.