The Weekender, Aug. 31-Sept. 3: Don’t do too much laboring this weekend

The Bangor Drive-In opened in Hermon in 2015.

We made it, folks. It’s Labor Day weekend. Now, here comes what I think are the best three weeks of the summer — when it’s warm but not too warm, everything’s still open but it’s not too busy and you can still go swimming. Perfection.

On this three-day weekend in Bangor, on Friday night, rockers The Midnight Riders are at Paddy Murphy’s, the duo Kootstix are at the Sea Dog, while on Saturday, local favorites The Trisha Mason Band are at Paddy Murphy’s, the Troy Youngblood Band is at Nocturnem Drafthaus, and the Union Street Brick Church hosts the tenth annual PUNKfest, featuring 13 local and regional punk bands, video game tournaments, vendors and more, 2 to 10 p.m. Also in Bangor this weekend is the first-ever Dusk to Dawn Labor Day Movie Madness Weekend, set for the Bangor Drive-In, and featuring four movies per screen, starting at 7:45 p.m. and running nonstop until sunrise. On screen one, there’s “Crazy Rich Asians,” “Jurassic world: Fallen Kingdom,” “The Meg” and “Jaws,” and on screen two there’s “The Happytime Murders,” “Slender Man,” the original “IT” with Tim Curry and “Killer Klowns From Outer Space.” It’s $10 per person, and those who make it through the whole night get free breakfast. Fun!

Down in Portland, on Friday night, local indie pop bands Forget Forget and Builder of the House are at Portland House of Music; the Brighton Beat and Quad are at Empire; there’s the annual Punk Rock Luau at Geno’s with Port City Saints, the Keeper Class, Not30 and Random Ideas; and there’s local songwriter Myles Bullen’s CD release party, with guests Stay on Mars and bensbeendead, at the Apohadion Theatre. On Saturday, there’s Ghostland at Thompson’s Point, a contemporary Americana showcase featuring headliners the Ghost of Paul Revere and many others, all afternoon. Also that Saturday, hip hop legend Lil Jon is at the State Theatre, there’s burlesque show and drag show at Portland House of Music, there’s a sold-out show from Le Vent du Nord at One Longfellow Square, and Golden Rules the Thumb, FCC, Jeff Beam and Buffalo Voice are at the Apohadion.

On the Midcoast this weekend, on Friday night, accordionist Marianna Fillippi is at the Blue Cafe at the Camden Opera House, and Well-Seasoned is at Rock City Coffee in Rockland, while on Saturday, songwriter Jonathan Edwards is at the Camden Opera House (the actual theater!), rock trio Hilton Park is at Rock City and the Grumps are at the Myrtle Street Tavern, also in Rockland.

Photo courtesy Camden Windjammer Festival

What else is good this weekend? Well, the beloved Blue Hill Fair is happening at the Blue Hill Fairgrounds — all the food, rides, music, agricultural demos and much more that you’d expect from a lovely rural fair like this one. Down in Brunswick, the Thomas Point Beach Bluegrass Festival happens all weekend, with an array of great bluegrass bands including headliners the Gibson Brothers and the Earls of Leicester with Jerry Douglas. And in Camden, the Camden Windjammer Festival takes over the harbor, featuring the largest gathering of windjammers in the Northeast — plus craft booths, boat races, a treasure hunt, a dog show, concerts, fireworks and more.

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.