HOPING FOR HAPPENINGS

Think of the last time a relevant musical act ventured north of Portland. Stumped? We are too.

The staff at the scene has been wracking its collective brain trying to come up with events happening in “The Other Maine,” to round out our Coming Up section.

Sure, Portland and Boston are great places to see shows and exhibits. But those can’t be the only places where great events are taking place.

So what we’re looking for is Mainestream. (No, that’s not a typo.)

If we’re not going to get “mainstream” events into our region, then we’re counting on you to send us the best of what’s happening in the state. And contrary to popular belief, the best doesn’t necessarily mean the most expensive or most flashy.

It’s all about having fun.

There’s a lot more fun going on in this neck of the woods than people know and we want to help people know. Where would all these “famous” people be without self-promotion? Bingo.

Here’s your chance to spread the word.

This doesn’t mean we’re going to stop telling you about events just because they happen in Portland or Boston. But, we’re far more inclined to give press to an event that’s going to give people a chance to see and do things they haven’t seen or done before.

Not to mention, if you’re looking for concert information about your favorite group, we’re probably not going to be the outlet to break it to you.

So give us the dirt on your indie music festival. We’ll try to build a castle. Give us the dish on your opening. We’ll try to feed the masses. Give us … well, just send us your goods.

If you’d like an event publicized, give us a call at 990-8028 or drop an e-mail to sceneguy@hotmail.com. Or, if you still can afford the price of gas, send us some snail mail to Bangor Daily News, c/o the scene, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402.

ENJOYING BLISTERS

The 16th Blistered Fingers Family Bluegrass festival will feature music from national and local bands June 14-17.

This year the festival will be held at the Silver Spur riding club in Sidney and will host performers including Rhonda Vincent & The Rage, Bob Paisley & the Southern Grass, the Wildwood Valley Boys and of course, Blistered Fingers, among others.

Tickets are available at the gate and children 12 and under are free with adults. Tickets for all four days with free camping cost $40; Thursday only $10; Friday only $15; Saturday only $20, after 5 p.m. $10; Sunday only $10; dogs $10.

For directions or more information, contact Sandy Cormier at 873-6539 or visit www.blisteredfingers.com.

WHATEVER

The 2001 Whatever Family Festival will celebrate the cleanup of the Kennebec River, the economy and people of capital area communites. The festival will run from Saturday, June 16, to Wednesday, July 4, at the Capitol Park in Augusta.

Featured events will begin with, Gardiner’s Day on Saturday, June 16, and end with fireworks Wednesday, July 4, at the Waterfront Park in Augusta. There will also be a whole day geared toward children on Kids Day Saturday, June 23.

For more information, call the Kennebec Valley Chamber of Commerce at 623-4559 or visit their website at www.augustamaine.com.

SUMMER CAMP

Summer camps for the Bangor YWCA will begin weekly sessions starting June 18, except for the Basketball Shooting Camp, which will start June 24.

Camp Jordan is the YMCA’s traditional resident camp located on Branch Lake in Ellsworth, and Camp Peirce Webber is its day camp in Hampden.

Super Summer Sports Camp is a day camp at Eastern Maine Technical College that offers a variety of sport-related activities throughout the summer.

Camp Mission Possible, focusing on creative arts, and the Basketball Shooting Camp are new to the YMCA’s summer programs.

For more information or to register, call 941-2815.

CELEBRATING SCHUBERT

The Bowdoin Summer Music Festival will highlight performances of chamber music by Franz Schubert this season. Audience members will hear such works as Piano Trios, “Death and the Maiden,” Piano Sonata in A minor.

The festival will feature other composers such as Mozart, Schoenberg and composers in residence Samuel Adler and George Crumb in Three Masterpieces from Three Centuries. There will also be a student recital series, a family outdoor concert featuring Gov. Angus King and a festival of contemporary music.

The Schubert series will run from June 27 to Aug. 3 in the Crooker Theater at Brunswick High School. For more information, call 725-3895.

WORLD-CLASS MUSIC

A mix of classical music, jazz and world music will begin on July 6 and end on Aug. 30 for the 42nd summer of Bay Chamber Concerts in Rockport.

Throughout the program, three pianists and a rare appearance by film and television star Efrem Zimbalist Jr. will be featured.

The program will include such concerts as the Musical Smorgasbord, the St. Lawrence String Quartet and the First Chair series, recognizing musicians who hold principal positions in America’s orchestras.

For more information on tickets or times, call the Bay Chamber Concerts office at 236-2823.