A Celtic thread will run through the Wiscasset Art Walk and into the evening on Thursday, July 31. Harpist Alex Bigney will be on the sidewalk on the corner of Main and Middle streets near the Garden Club of Wiscasset’s stall. Across the street in Aekeir Tap Room, 111 Main St., the Main St. Music Makers will play traditional Celtic songs with harmony and English country dances from the Baroque period. Also at Aekeir will be a community sing.

Bigney, the art walk’s feature musician, lives in the Midcoast and plays regionally, his music reflecting his Nova Scotia and Ukraine heritage. His music has been described as emotional — universal and personal at the same time. Bigney has recorded five albums as a member of Kirkmount, a group made up of he and his two brothers and named for a deserted village in Nova Scotia where his ancestors once made music.

Main St. Music Makers is a group of accomplished local musicians: Laurie Rousseau on penny whistle and recorder, Nancy Cook on violin, Liz von Huene on violin, and Kat Logan on accordion, all from Wiscasset; John Schiesser on electric bass from Westport Island; and Alna’s Dave Figa on guitar. The group meets weekly to share music-making and to enjoy the company of other musicians. They meet “for the joy of music,” said Rousseau, who hosts the practice sessions in her home. During the weekly sessions, everyone brings a song they like, and the musicians work on it together until it’s ready to play in public.

“It’s not like high school band; there’s no pressure,” Rousseau said.

Main St. Music Makers will play on upper floor of Aekeir from 4-7 p.m. Slightly overlapping with the band will be a group of neighbors, friends and the simply curious from 6:30-9 p.m. in the lower level of the pub. The group is co-hosted by husband-and-wife team Jamie Beaton and Deb Small, of Wiscasset.

“I love to sing, lead songs, and I like getting people together,” Beaton said.

Beaton and Small have been hosting community sings in Wiscasset Village since December. The group is open to anyone; come once in a while or on the regular. The format is simple: no rehearsals, little if any sheet music, no amps and no musical accompaniment. Just voices.

“People prepare what they want to sing,” Beaton said. “They have songs in mind. They start singing and lead the chorus when others join in.”

Most of the music sung in this song circle are traditional tunes from the British Isles, the U.S. and Canada; a few chanteys; and a bit of traditional folk.

The art walk is from 4-7 p.m. in Wiscasset Village. For more information, visit wiscassetartwalk.org or email wiscassetartwalk@gmail.com. Wiscasset Art Walk is a program of Wiscasset Creative Alliance.