• BENEFITS

TODAY

“Toast on the Coast,” Easter Seals Maine benefit featuring more than 100 wines and food from local restaurants, 21-plus; The Landing at Pine Point, Scarborough. $40. 828-0754. 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

FRIDAY

Catie Curtis, benefit concert for Safe Passage, Bowdoin College (Pickard Theater), Brunswick. $20. safepassage.org/concert. 7:30 p.m.

“Celebrating Hope,” Center for Grieving Children 25th anniversary dinner and auction hosted by WCSH6 News anchor Cindy Williams, Holiday Inn by the Bay, Portland. $90. cgcmaine.org/events. 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.

SATURDAY

Texas Hold ‘Em Poker Tournament, benefit for South Berwick Library building fund, Regatta Banquet and Conference Center, Eliot. $60. friendsofsouthberwicklibrary.org. 6 p.m.

DaPonte String Quartet, benefit concert of Haitian chamber music to benefit Konbit Sante, St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Falmouth. $25. konbitsante.org. 7:30 p.m.

Children’s Book Sale, includes craft and reading corners for children, Prince Memorial Library, Cumberland Center. 829-3924. 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Benefit Breakfast, benefits Bath-Tsugaru fund for travel scholarships and hosting, part of Bath’s Japanese Celebration Weekend, Starlight Cafe, Bath. Price not given. cityofbath.com. 8 to 11 a.m.

Silent and Live Auctions, plus entertainment, appetizers and cash bar to benefit St. Thomas School; The Town Club, Sanford. $15 in advance; $17 at door. 324-5832. 7 to 10 p.m.

FEB. 9

A Night to Remember Fashion Show, benefit for Southern Maine Dress for Success hosted by fashion designer Ashley Lauren Kerr, People’s Choice Credit Union, Saco. $10. 282-1201. 5:30 p.m.

• FAIRS/FESTIVALS

South Portland Rotary Club Winter Festival, family skating party, snowman-making contest, scavenger hunt, band concerts and more, Mill Creek Park and Thomas Knight Park, South Portland. Free. www.facebook.com/#!/danmooers 5 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday

Ice and Smelt Festival, reading, storytelling, refreshments, local art, games, contests and parade, Merrymeeting Arts Center, Bowdoinham. 710-0349. 5:30 to 8 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

Winter Carnival and Centennial Extravaganza, sledding, music, hot chocolate, skating, sleigh rides, snow-sculpture contest, chocolate lounge and ice bar, St. Joseph’s College, Standish. Free; $9 for brunch, $10 for dinner. 893-7890. 6 to 8 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. Saturday.

Longfellow Days, month-long celebration of readings, tours, dinners, films and more honoring Henry W. Longfellow, various locations, Brunswick. Various prices. brunswickdowntown.com/longfellowdays. Saturday to Feb. 26.

Chinese New Year Festival, dance program, martial arts demos, children’s activities, panel discussion, food and more, Westbrook Performing Arts Center. $4, $6; free for ages 2 and under. cafammaine.org. 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

Winter Ecology Festival, indoor and outdoor activities, birds of prey, crafts, winter tracking, walks and more, Merryspring Nature Center, Camden. Free. merryspring.org. 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday.

Skowhegan Winter Carnival, children’s games, face painting, snowshoeing, pie-eating contest, fire pit and more, Skowhegan Parks & Recreation Dept. Fees for some activities. 474-6901. 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

• SPECIAL EVENTS

TODAY

Drop-in Sake Tasting, 21-plus; Now You’re Cooking, Bath. Free. cityofbath.com. 5 to 7 p.m.

FRIDAY

Rich Charette, children’s concert, Fryeburg Academy (Leura Hill Eastman Performing Arts Center). $10; $5 for children. fryeburgacademy.org/pac. 7 p.m.

Japanese Cooking Class, with chef Chris Toy, Now You’re Cooking, Bath. Free/donation. cityofbath.com. 5 to 7 p.m.

The Big Chill, ice sculptures, wine tasting, music, ice games, children’s shows and more, The Red Barn at Outlook Farm, South Berwick. $20; $10 for children; $40 per family. doverwomenaid.org. 5 to 11 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

SATURDAY

Sleigh Day, Skyline Farm, North Yarmouth. $8; $30 per family; free for children under 6. 829-9203. Noon to 3 p.m.

Winter Carnival, bike race, dog sledding, story walk, equipment demonstration, food and drinks, Quarry Road Recreation Area, Waterville. Free/donation. 680-4744. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Family Carnival, Japanese crafts, activities, dragon parade and more, Bath Middle School. Free/donation. bath-tsugaru.org. 1 to 3 p.m.

Celebrity Sumo Wrestling, with Bowdoin College Taiko drumming group, Bath Middle School. Free/donation. bath-tsugaru.org. 7 p.m.

UMFK’s Alumni Association Talent Show, vocal, instrumental and dance performances; proceeds benefit scholarship fund; University of Maine (Fox Auditorium), Fort Kent. $5. 834-7557. 7 p.m.

“Eight Planets and Counting,” planetarium show about the solar system, University of Southern Maine (Southworth Planetarium), Portland. $4, $6. 780-4249. 3 p.m.

“Trendsetters: Emerging European Whites,” sommelier Erica Archer leads a guided wine-tasting discussion, 21-plus; Wine Bar & Restaurant, Portland. $30 in advance; $35 day of event. winewiseevents.com. 6 to 8 p.m.

“A Wine Walk in the Old Port: The Many Styles of Cabernet,” led by sommelier Erica Archer, 21-plus; starts at Zapoteca and goes to three other restaurants, Portland. $35 in advance; $40 day of walk. winewiseevents.com. 3 to 5 p.m.

Great Chowder Cook Off, American Legion Post 42, Damariscotta. $5. 6:30 p.m.

Winter Family Fun Day, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, ice skating, sledding, horse-drawn sleigh rides, natural history exploration and more, Mt. Blue State Park, Weld. $1.50 for ages 12 to 64; free for all others. 585-2261. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

SUNDAY

“Greetings from the Heart,” chocolate and its evolution in American cookery with Sandra Oliver, includes tasting, Freeport Historical Society Harrington House. $10. freeporthistoricalsociety.org. 2 p.m.

Southern Maine Antique Paper Show, more than 40 exhibitors, Fireside Inn, Portland. $4. 828-8065. 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Super Bowl XLVI Live in HD, Strand Theatre, Rockland. Free. rocklandstrand.com. 6:25 p.m.

“Dinosaurs,” planetarium show, University of Southern Maine (Southworth Planetarium), Portland. $5; $4 for children and seniors. usm.maine.edu/planet. 3 p.m.

“Gardening, Geisha, Green Tea and More,” afternoon of Japanese activities geared toward a wide range of interests, Patten Free Library, Bath. Price not given. bath-tsugaru.org. Noon to 5 p.m.

Shape Note Singing, four-part singing tradition also known as Sacred Harp, everyone is welcome to participate, The New Church, Portland. Free/donation. 216-3890. 1 to 4 p.m.

MONDAY

Storytime in the Garden, hour-long stories read by Pat Jeremiah, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay. Free. 633-4333. 10 a.m.

TUESDAY

KinderKonzerts, “Peter and the Wolf,” for ages 3 to 7, Oxford Elementary School. $4. 773-6128. 9:45 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

FEB. 9

National Theater in London Live: “Travelling Light,” Nicholas Wright’s new play, Strand Theatre, Rockland. $23; $15 for ages 18 and under. rocklandstrand.com. Live at 2 p.m.; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

National Theater in London Live: “Travelling Light,” Nicholas Wright’s new play, Fryeburg Academy (Leura Hill Eastman Performing Arts Center). $18; $15 for seniors; $10 for students. fryeburgacademy.org/pac. 2 p.m.

National Theater in London Live: “Travelling Light,” Nicholas Wright’s new play, Lincoln Theater, Damariscotta. $15. 563-3424. Rebroadcast, 7 p.m.

• FILMS

TODAY

“Shall We Dance?” (1996), in Japanese with English subtitles, Winter Street Center, Bath. Donation. bath-tsugaru.org. 7 p.m.

FRIDAY

“Seven Samurai” (1954), classic Japanese action-adventure, Hampton Inn, Bath. Donation. bath-tsugaru.org. 7 p.m.

“In the Blood” (2012), documentary about the history of Maine lumbermen accompanied by live music, Bates College (Olin Arts Center), Lewiston. $6. batestickets.com. 7:30 p.m.

“Rockland Shorts,” hour of short films with post-screening discussion; some films contain adult language and sexual content; Strand Theatre, Rockland. $10, $12. 596-6256. 6 p.m.

SATURDAY

“Retrospective: The Films of Terrence Malick,” Strand Theatre, Rockland. $7.50. 594-0070. “The Thin Red Line” (1998), 3 p.m.

Fly Fishing Film Tour, preceded by silent auction, Fryeburg Academy (Leura Hill Eastman Performing Arts Center). $12 in advance; $15 day of show. 935-9232. 6:30 p.m.

MONDAY

“West Side Story” (1961), classic Oscar-winning musical, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta. $5/donation. 563-5513. 6:30 p.m.

“Devil Got My Woman,” blues footage from historic 1966 Newport Folk Festival, One Longfellow Square, Portland. $7. onelongfellowsquare.com. 7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY

“Porgy and Bess” (1959), Dunaway Center, Ogunquit. Free. 646-7055. 7 p.m.

“Lourdes” (2009), in French with English subtitles, Bowdoin College (Kresge Auditorium), Brunswick. Free. 725-3465. 7 p.m.

FEB. 9

Foreign Films in February, Rockland Library. Free. 594-0310. “Welcome” (2009), in French, English and Kurdish with English subtitles, 6:30 p.m.

• BOOKS/AUTHORS

TODAY

Tracy Ann Lord, author of “Good Catch,” Rockland Library. 594-0310. 6:30 p.m.

Janet Mendelsohn, author of “Maine’s Museums: Art, Oddities and Artifacts,” York Public Library. Free. york.lib.me.us. Noon.

FRIDAY

“Colonial House Revisited: John Bear Reminisces,” with storyteller, author and actor John Bear Mitchell, Ricker Memorial Library, Poland Spring. 998-4390. Book signing at 6:30 p.m.; program at 7 p.m.

SATURDAY

Poetry Reading and Commentary, with Maggie Finch and Jerry Day, Brunswick Inn on Park Row. Free. 721-0141. 2 p.m.

SUNDAY

Ted Bookey, Helene McGlauflin and Ricardo Zarate, poetry reading, Curtis Memorial Library, Brunswick. Free. 721-0141. 1 p.m.

TUESDAY

“Chats with Champions,” with Martha White, author of “In the Words of E.B. White,” Skidompha Library, Damariscotta. 563-5513. 10 a.m.

WEDNESDAY

Toure, journalist and commentator, Bates College (Benjamin Mays Center), Lewiston. 786-8303. 7:30 p.m.

FEB. 9

Dawn Potter and Meg Kearney, poetry reading, Bates College (Edmund S. Muskie Archives), Lewiston. Free. 786-6256. 7:30 p.m.

• PRO SPORTS

Portland Pirates, AHL affiliate of the Phoenix Coyotes, Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland. $12 to $20. 828-4665. Vs. Bridgeport, 7 p.m. Friday; Vs. Binghamton, 7 p.m. Saturday.

• PARTICIPANT DANCE

Cha Cha Lessons and Dance, music by Fred Dunn of Seacoast Ballroom, Avant Dance & Event Center, Westbrook. $12. avantmaine.com. Lesson at 7:15 p.m.; dance 8 to 10:30 p.m. Friday.

Swing Dance, music by The Blue Willow Band, Wescustogo Hall, North Yarmouth. $8. 653-5012. Lesson at 7 p.m.; dance at 8 p.m. Friday.

Contra Dance, with music by The Don Ray Quartet and caller Adina Gordon; bring clean non-street shoes for dancing; Falmouth Congregational Church. $5 to $10; free for children under age 5. 358-9354. 7:15 p.m. Saturday.

Contra Dance, with The Big Moose Contra Dance Band and caller Chrissy Fowler, College of the Atlantic (Gates Center), Bar Harbor. $6; free for children. 288-5015. Lessons at 7:30 p.m.; dance at 8 p.m. Saturday.

International Folk Dance, dances from the Balkans, Israel, France, Greece and around the world, The New Church, Portland. $5; $3 for children. 776-5351. 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday.