• BENEFITS

TODAY

An Evening of Opera at the Victoria Mansion, featuring soprano Claire Coolen and baritone Robert E. Mellon, benefits PORTopera and the Victoria Mansion; Victoria Mansion, Portland. $50. 772-4841. 5:30 to 8 p.m.

Collective Motion Benefit Night, with a silent art auction, live music and dancing table service; benefits “V” Collective Motion’s fifth-anniversary performance at Lucid Stage; Local Sprouts Cooperative, Portland. Free/donations. 899-3529. 5:30 to 10 p.m. 

FRIDAY

5K Library Race, annual fundraiser for the library with music, food, and raffles, Kennebunk Free Library. Free/donation. 985-2173. 6 p.m.

“A Theater Tasting,” theater performance with wine and appetizers; benefits Lucid Stage; Lucid Stage, Portland. $25. 899-3993. 8 p.m. 

SATURDAY

Rizing Tide Concert, rock cover band, 21-plus (BYOB); benefits the Long Island Recreation Department’s programs; Long Island Community Center. $20. 228-5470. 8:30 p.m. to 1 a.m.

5K Run or Walk for the Gym, fundraiser for the center, Nasson Community Center, Springvale. $8 to $18. 324-5657. 6 p.m.

36th Annual Auction, benefits the Georgetown Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary, Five Islands Station, Georgetown. 504-0066. 9 a.m. Saturday.

“Paint the Port” Art and Auction, benefit for Heartwood College of Art, Kennebunk River Club, Kennebunkport. $20. 985-0985. 5:30 p.m.

Tom Acousti and Friends Concert, benefit for NAMI-Maine; Frontier Cafe, Cinema & Gallery, Brunswick. $18 to $22. tomacousti.com. 7:30 p.m. 

• FAIRS/FESTIVALS

Kennebunk Old Home Week, heritage festival with old-fashioned lobster bake, children’s activities, sporting events, history displays, a petting zoo, a street dance and more, Main Street, Kennebunk. Various times today to Saturday; schedule at kennebunkfestivals.com.

East Millinocket Summerfest, with live music, a children’s parade, fireworks and more, Opal Myrick Park, East Millinocket. Various times today to Sunday; schedule at eastmillinocket.org/summerfest2011.html.

Norway Arts Festival, with sidewalk art show featuring more than 100 artists, music with a fiddle jam, a street dance, puppet performances, juggling and more. Free. Main Street, Norway. norwayartsfestival.org. Various times Friday to Sunday.

Greek Heritage Festival, with authentic Greek homemade food, music, entertainment and more, St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, Saco. 284-5651. Call for times and cost.

Moxie Festival, celebrates the Moxie soda with a river race, 5K road race, parade, car show raffle and more, Lisbon Falls. Various times Friday to Sunday; schedule at moxiefestival.com.

Native American Festival and Basket Makers Market, meet artists and learn about contemporary Indian art and culture, College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor. Free. 288-3519. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. 

• SPECIAL EVENTS

TODAY

Community Cookout, Potluck and Bandstand Concert, 195th Army Band with jazz combo, brass quintet and sax quartet, Village Green, North Yarmouth. Free. 595-2997. 6 p.m.

Hypnotist Paul Ramsay, Lucid Stage, Portland. $10, $12. 899-3993. 7:30 p.m.

Antiques Expert, Frank Wood appraises items, limit one item per person, South Waterboro Grange Hall. Free. 247-5878. 7 p.m.

Sea Shanties and Life on the High Seas with Julie & Brownie, children’s event featuring songs about life aboard pirate ships crossing the Atlantic, Dyer Library, Saco. Free. 283-3861. 5 p.m. 

FRIDAY

Illustrated Talk by Earle G. Shettleworth, “Civil War Images,” L.C. Bates Museum, Hinckley. Free. 238-4250. 7 p.m.

Second Friday Art and Craft Sale, with live music by Papadello, Local Sprouts Cooperative, Portland. 899-3529. Free admission. 4 to 8 p.m.

EBNO Talent Show, with MC Alex Endy, Taiko Maine Dojo and a bake sale; presented by the East Bayside Neighborhood Organization, Mayo Street Arts, Portland. $5. mayostreetarts.org. 7:30 p.m. 

SATURDAY

Searsport Lobster Boat Races and Antique Power Day, exhibits, racing and crafts, various locations, Searsport. penobscotmarinemuseum.org. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Lighthouse Tours, one of only 40 caisson-style lighthouses in the U.S. and the only one open to visitors, must be more than 55 inches tall, canceled in case of rain or fog; Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse, South Portland. $5; free for children under 14. 699-2676. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

The Maine Home + Design Cape Elizabeth Garden Tour, a full day of self-guided, open-garden visiting on 11 properties, begins at Fort Williams Park, Cape Elizabeth. $20 in advance; $25 day of tour. arboretumatfortwilliams.org. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. (Rain date is Sunday.)

R&R Spinners Demonstration, demonstration of traditional spinning skills, Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, New Gloucester. Free. 926-4597. 10 a.m.

Chickadee Quilters Quilt Show, 100 quilts on display, vendors, demonstrations, an auction and more, Stevens Brook Elementary School, Bridgton. $5. 647-5197. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Arts at the Old Jefferson Town House Show and Sale, Old Jefferson Town House, Jefferson. Free admission. 549-5259. 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. 

SUNDAY

Tour of Historic Fort Scammel on House Island, Long Wharf, Portland. $30 to $35. mainemaritimemuseum.org. Board the Chippewa at Long Wharf, 11:30 a.m.

Library Sundae, antique car rides and sundaes for children for $2.50 each, Falmouth Memorial Library. Free admission. 781-2351. 1 to 4 p.m.

Hidden Gardens of Munjoy Hill, self-guided tour of 12 gardens, Hidden Gardens of Munjoy Hill, Portland. $15 to $20. 233-7273. hiddengardensofmunjoyhill.org. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine.

Gardens in the Watershed Garden Tour, featuring six diverse gardens in the towns of Hope, Appleton and Warren, Georges River Land Trust, Rockland. $25 to $28. 594-5166. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

MONDAY

Storytelling Circle hosted by Deena Weinstein, bring a story to share with others, Local Sprouts Cooperative, Portland. Free. 899-3529. 6:30 p.m. 

TUESDAY

Antiques of Ocean Park, bring a small item for evaluation, Jordan Hall, Ocean Park. $5/donation. oceanpark.org. 7:30 p.m. 

WEDNESDAY

“Alive for $5,” one-hour family program includes “Talk Back” with the performer, Stonington Opera House. $5. 367-2788. “Figures of Speech: Cupid and Psyche,” 7 p.m.

“Victorian Secrets,” campers from Victorian Secrets Camp display clothing items they created in camp, Fifth Maine Regiment Museum, Peaks Island. $5. 766-3330. 7 p.m. 

• FILMS

Classic Cinema, St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Falmouth. Free. 781-3366. “Diabolique” (1955), 7 p.m. Friday.

“The Castle,” documentary on the Portsmouth Naval Prison in Kittery, Maine Maritime Museum, Bath. $5, $7; $20 for family. 443-1316. 6:30 p.m. Friday.

Free Summer Film Series, York Public Library. Free. 363-2818. “The Black Swan” (2010), 7 p.m. Sunday.

Summer Documentary Series, Portland Public Library, Rines Auditorium. Free. 871-1700. “Mugabe and the White African” (2009), 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Teens Through Time, film series with teen-centric viewpoint, Portland Public Library. Free. 871-1700. 2000s: “Bring It On” (2000), 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.

“The Adventures of Captain Dick Spear,” documentary followed by Q&A, Rockland Public Library. Free. 594-0310. 6:30 p.m. July 14. 

• BOOKS/AUTHORS

FRIDAY

Melissa Coleman, author of “This Life is in Your Hands,” Skidompha Library, Damariscotta. 563-5513. 6 p.m.

Jenifer LeClaire, author of “Danger Sector: A Windjammer Mystery,” Owl & Turtle Bookstore, Camden. owlandturtle.com. 1 p.m. 

SATURDAY

“Books in Boothbay: Maine’s Summer Book Fair,” featuring more than 40 authors from around the state, Boothbay Railway Village. Free. booksin boothbay.blogspot.com. 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Nicole Fazio and Suzanne Buzby Hershey, illustrator and author of the children’s book “Down East in the Ocean,” Maine Coast Book Shop and Cafe, Damariscotta. 563-3207. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

SUNDAY

Lulu Hawkes, poetry reading by Maine’s 2011 Poetry Out Loud state champion, River Arts, Damariscotta. 563-1507. 7 p.m. 

TUESDAY

Douglas Tallamy, author of “Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens,” College of the Atlantic (Gates Center), Bar Harbor. 288-5015. 7 p.m.

Pendred Noyce, author of the children’s fantasy “Lost in Lexicon: An Adventure in Words and Numbers,” Maine Coast Book Shop and Cafe, Damariscotta. 563-3207. 11 a.m.

Amy Wood, author of “Life Your Way,” Kennebooks, Kennebunk. Free; RSVP suggested. 967-6136. 10:30 a.m. 

WEDNESDAY

Anita Shreve, Author of “Rescue,” Kennebooks, Kennebunk. Free; RSVP suggested. 967-6136. 6:30 p.m.

Poets Joy Harjo and Patricia Smith, all ages, Space, Portland. $8, $10. space538.org. 8 p.m.

Jim Nichols, author of “Hull Creek,” Maine Maritime Museum, Bath. mainemaritimemuseum.org. Noon.

“Stories by the Garden: Maine Children’s Book Authors and Illustrators,” stories and fun activities for children, Friends School of Portland, Mackworth Island, Falmouth. Free. 781-6321. 11 a.m. 

JULY 14

Melissa Coleman, author of “This Life is in Your Hands,” Witherle Public Library, Castine. 326-4375. 7 p.m.

Linda and Martha Greenlaw, authors of “Maine Summers Cookbook: Recipes for Delicious Sun Filled Days,” presented by the Maine Coast Bookshop, 1812 Farm, Bristol. $45; $60 per couple; includes buffet and signed copy of the cookbook. 563-3207. 4 p.m.

George Dalphin, author of “Bob Wacszowski, Necromancer,” Bull Moose Music, Scarborough. bullmoose.com. 5 to 8 p.m.

Paul Doiron, author or “Trespasser,” Owl & Turtle Bookstore, Camden. owlandturtle.com. 6 p.m.

Dan Harrington, author of “Who’s at the Door? A Memoir of Me and the Missionaries,” Bangor Public Library. 947-8336. 5:30 p.m. 

• PRO SPORTS

Portland Sea Dogs, Minor League baseball, Hadlock Field, Portland. $7, $9. portlandseadogs.com. Vs. New Britain, 7 p.m. July 14. 

• PARTICIPANT DANCE

Zumba Happy Hour Dance Party, with free refreshments and giveaways, PULSE Ballroom Dance Studio, Westbrook. Free. 831-5119. 4:30 p.m. Friday.

North Yarmouth Contradance, Wescustogo Hall, North Yarmouth. $7, $10. 233-4325. 6 p.m. (dance), 7 p.m. (potluck), 7:30 p.m. (beginners), 8 to 11:30 p.m. (dance) Saturday.