Friends of Congress Square Park

Maine Inside Out presents "Love is Alternatives to Incarceration"
2018-06-01 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Detroit) | Congress Square Park, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
Maine Inside Out (MIO) initiates dialogue, develops leadership, and builds community across boundaries with collaborative original theater, inside and outside correctional facilities. MIO youth inside of Long Creek Youth Development Center and in Maine communities of Biddeford, Lewiston, Portland, and Waterville create original theater as a tool for social change.
MIO’s outside community group, comprised of members from our Biddeford, Lewiston, and Portland groups, is currently touring “Love Is Alternatives to Incarceration” (Love Is). Love Is premiered as a collaboration with Portland Outright on November 8th, 2017 to a sold-out crowd at USM’s Hannaford Hall. The performance includes a short film, live performance, and audio recordings of poetry by currently incarcerated member of MIO and Portland Outright.
“Love Is Alternatives to Incarceration” interweaves multiple narratives of young people outcast from their home, school, and community and placed into systems designed to separate them. The play documents how, despite these boundaries, they create connection and community with each other. It is a call to action to love and care for each other more boldly. Themes addressed include: youth incarceration, homelessness, school discipline and school to prison pipeline, racism, substance use, family separation, social stigma, trauma, support, resilience, and love.

Fishin' Ships Food Truck
2018-06-01 17:00 - 20:00, 2018-05-30 17:00 - 20:00
Fishin’ Ships Food Truck starts with a classic street food that pays tribute to Portland’s historic fishing industry – fish and chips! Then, they break the mold of what is traditionally considered fish and chips by offering craft beer batters made with gourmet ingredients. Look forward to a perfected classic, and twists like a basil and thai chili battered fish, prepared in Bissell Brothers Substance beer batter or a curry and onion battered fish, fried in Allagash White beer batter. A rotating menu of lighter fare options include fish tacos, fish sliders, and ceviche. All fish comes from local waters and all beer batters are made with Maine made beer!

The FLUKES
2018-05-30 18:00 - 20:00
The FLUKES – or the Falmouth Library Ukulele Society – boast a membership of over 35 ukulele musicians. They play everything from Bach to the Beatles and beyond!
During weekly Wednesday night rehearsals, led by their fearless leader, Nina Allen Miller, they’ve built a repertoire from many different musical genres, practicing, playing and most of all having a lot of fun. So far they have triumphantly performed throughout New England, including performances with the Portland Symphony Orchestra at “Magic of Christmas”, the Yarmouth Clam Festival, Denmark Center for the Arts, CascoBay UkeFest, Maine Marathon, Ocean Park “Wednesdays at Jordan” series, First Friday Portland, on the stage of Merrill Auditorium and with Slugger at Portland Sea Dogs games.

Falafel Mafia Food Truck
2018-05-25 18:00 - 20:00, 2018-05-23 18:00 - 20:00, 2018-05-18 18:00 - 20:00, 2018-05-05 18:30 - 20:00, 2018-05-04 17:00 - 19:00
Falafel Mafia is a Maine based food truck and catering company specializing in Falafel pita pockets and other Middle Eastern cuisine. They aim to support local farms while making creative and delicious food, much of which is vegetarian or vegan. And they’ll be in Congress Square Park regularly throughout the season! Check out our calendar to see which events will feature their cuisine.

"A SHARED SPACE" Virtual Reality Film Experience
2018-05-25 18:00 - 20:00
A SHARED SPACE is a virtual reality film which tells the story of friends Hilowle and Shuab, who grew up in Dadaab, Kenya– the largest refugee camp in the world. Today, both have started families and call Lewiston, Maine home. Raising children in the country’s least diverse state in the wake of Trump’s Muslim Ban and rising nationalist sentiments has created challenges neither expected.
A SHARED SPACE is a Virtual Reality Hub which is intended to be screened at public spaces. The audience is invited to sit in one of six swivel chairs, put on a VR headsets and is immediately transported to Lewiston where they can choose to view from 13 videos, each 1-3 minutes in length.

Rene Goddess Johnson presents "g e e l"
2018-05-23 18:00 - 20:00
g e e l is an interactive devised, original one-woman show, written and performed by René Johnson, and directed by Marjolaine Whittlesey.
The action unfolds through thoughtful storytelling as her “tribe,” the audience, experiences a new kind of theater that includes powerful dance and song in multiple languages, including English and Afrikaans.
Amanda Huotari, Executive Artistic Director of Celebration Barn shared, “Rene is a creative powerhouse with an incredible story of overcoming childhood trauma. She takes the audience on a journey from South Africa to Maine in beautiful and inspiring ways.”
“René Goddess Johnson writes, choreographs, directs, produces and performs her interactive one woman show. She has been developing her original style of interactive theater since 2013 and has combined her passion for experiential learning, her love of storytelling and dynamic dance to create this high-energy show.
She performs in the Northeast region and brings 400 years of South African and North American history to life for audiences by involving them in performances that feature improvisation, dance, music, poetry, group discussion and activities with a great deal of raw emotion, truth bombs, and humor. Her workshops explore a diverse range of subjects from racism in Maine to self expression and identity.”
Ages 13+/parents use best judgement for adult themes, adult language and severe violence depicted.

Portland Swing Project featuring Flying Home
2018-05-18 18:00 - 20:00
Join Portland Swing Project for live music and swing dancing in the Square! This month, Flying Home will perform.
Portland Swing Project spreads the appreciation of swing music and dance through weekly classes and events for all levels of experience. We teach, dance, perform and provide live and DJ’d music to venues throughout Maine. Absolute beginners welcome, no partner needed.
“Flying Home is Seacoast Maine and Brooklyn, New York’s premier Benny Goodman Ensemble. An instrumental sextet that also features special guest singers, Flying Home covers classic repertoire from the BG small ensembles from the Sextet, Quintet, Quartet, and Trio PLUS many big band hits of the 30s and 40s! A dynamic group of top Seacoast and NY players, the band, led by drummer John Mettam, takes listeners and dancers on a musical journey of the classic swing era with all the energy and excitement of a modern live ensemble!”

Portland Swing Project hosts swing dances in Congress Square Park every third Friday from May through August.

"The Spring Share" with Maineshare
2018-05-18 12:00 - 14:00
Join the SpringShare from 12:00 – 2:00 at Congress Square Park – an opportunity for the entire Maine Community to celebrate the causes and values we care about!
The SpringShare invites people who love Maine to give to up to 44 non-profit organizations working every day for economic opportunity, environmental sustainability, diversity, education, the arts, health, safety, animal welfare, social justice, and peace in Maine.
Grab your friends, come have lunch in the park, and let your community know what you value and support at #thespringshare!
FMI: thespringshare.org

Sounds of the City: Hip Hop Lives in Maine
2018-05-16 18:00 - 20:00
Join AFRiCAN DUNDADA and Monday of the Minds for an evening of live hip hop.
“MONDAY OF THE MINDS, hosted by Rizing In Life Entertainment, is a community hip hop showcase in Portland, Maine. The event is held every second and fourth Monday at Flask Lounge. MOTM runs a community outreach program in an effort clean up the park system. They strive to promote members of the hip hop community to become more involved with volunteering and creating opportunities for people to come together in positive ways.”

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Figures of Speech presents "The Art of Memory" film & Puppetry Workshop
2018-05-11 20:00 - 21:30
Join Figures of Speech Theatre for a screening of “The Art of Memory: Stories from Maine’s Outer Islands,” a shadow puppet film based on oral histories gathered on some of Maine’s most remote islands. Following the 35-minute film, audience members of all ages will be invited to peek behind the scenes before creating live shadow scenes of their own stories!

Figures of Speech Theatre partnered with the Island Institute to produce “The Art of Memory.” Director of Education at Figures of Speech, Ian Bannon, led a team of four artists as they collaborated with students in six of the one- and two-room schoolhouses off Maine’s coast. In the spring of year one, Bannon travelled to each island to introduce students to documentary techniques, which they then used to cull stories from other island residents, historical archives, and publications. The entire artistic team returned that following fall to collaborate in the creation and filming of shadow puppet adaptations of their favorite stories.
The resulting 35-minute film combines a variety of shorts ranging from pirate stories to tall-tales to ill-conceived stand-offs with Abenaki Native Americans. The pieces are held together with a layered dreamscape of shadow imagery, narration from some of Portland’s most sought-after voiceover artists, and a captivating original musical score by Dave Noyes of Rustic Overtones.

Figures of Speech Theatre, a puppet theater company founded in Freeport in 1982, is the recipient of four coveted UNIMA Citations of Excellence—the highest distinction in American puppet theatre. The company has toured all over the world – from Sofia, Bulgaria to Tokyo, Japan, to Lima, Peru – while retaining a strong commitment to teaching and performing throughout its home state of Maine.
The Island Institute works to sustain Maine’s island and remote coastal communities, and exchanges ideas and experiences to further the sustainability of communities here and elsewhere. The Institute’s Outer Islands TLC (Teaching and Learning Collaborative) improves the quality and ensures the sustainability of one- and two-room island schools on Cliff, Cranberry Isles, Frencboro, Isle au Haut, Matinicus, and Monhegan by creating collaborative educational and social opportunities for students across islands via technology and face-to-face learning opportunities.
“The Art of Memory” was made possible through the generous support of the Helen & George Ladd Charitable Corporation, the Expansion Arts Fund ofthe Maine
Community Foundation, and the Maine Arts Commission, an independent state agency supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.
For more information regarding the film, visit www.figures.org/memory. To find out about similar educational and artistic opportunities, contact Ian Bannon of Figures of Speech Theatre at (207) 865-6355 or ianbannon@figures.org.

Silent Book Club
2018-05-07 17:30 - 19:30
Welcome to introvert happy hour! Join others who love books every 1st Monday in Congress Square Park throughout the season. Bring a book you’d like to enjoy, talk with others who love books (if you wish), and simply enjoy the ambiance of the Square while reading with others.
“There’s no assigned reading at Silent Book Club. SBC can happen over coffee, over lunch, long distance, on Instagram, and in person once a month in more than 40 cities around the world. SBC is about treating yourself. Sitting in a bar with a book. Reading in companionable silence with a friend. Interlacing gossip with recommended authors. And never worrying if you haven’t finished the book.”
Silent Book Club meets in Congress Square Park every 1st Monday of the month May through September from 5:30 until 7:30pm.

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"The Way We Move" Accessible Interactive Circus Arts
2018-05-06 10:00 - 11:00
Do you want to add some whimsy to your life? This accessible circus and flow arts program can help you learn a new skill while having lots of fun. Learn from trained professionals who have experience helping people of all skill and ability levels discover the amazing world of circus and flow arts.
The Way We Move is an interactive flow arts/circus program for children and adults with disabilities, and anyone else who wants to participate. This interactive activity will allow children and adults to explore different Flow and Circus arts in their own accessible way. There will be multiple types of props and movement activities for people to try out and play around with.
People of all ages and abilities are encouraged to come and explore their flow.

Sound & Fury presents "Romeo & Juliet"
2018-05-05 18:30 - 20:00
Sound and Fury presents: Romeo and Juliet – Shakespeare’s famous comedy-turned-tragedy. Their company mission is to tell honest and accessible stories using Shakespeare’s text. In this play, Sound & Fury sees the truths in the struggles that we have all faced, especially as teenagers.
*Content warning: themes of depression, violence, and suicide.
If you miss this performance, note that Sound & Fury will host additional performances in early May:
Friday 5/4 – North St. Park
Sunday 5/6 – Quill Books & Beverage (4PM show)
Thursday 5/10, Friday 5/11, Saturday 5/12 – New Fruit Arts Collective

FMI: See the Facebook event

Check Mates! Chess
2018-05-05 09:00 - 12:00
The Check Mates! is a casual community chess club for everyone! All ages and experience levels welcome. Come for just a game or stay for as long as you like.
Use one of 10 new Weighted Tournament Style chess sets to play a game with a friend or a neighbor you don’t yet know.
*This event is weather permitting. If it gets too cold, Check Mates! will meet at the nearby Coffee by Design on Congress Street.*

Check Mates! Chess meets weekly in Congress Square Park every Saturday morning from 9 am until noon from May through October.

Thanks to SPACE Gallery, The Friends of Congress Square Park and YES Books for making this series possible.

Dark Follies
2018-05-04 20:15 - 21:00
Dark Follies is an award winning vaudeville style variety show based in Portland, Maine. Family friendly while still keeping an edge, Dark Follies features the live music of the Dark Follies Rhythm Orchestra, dancing, juggling, side show acts, fire performers and more.
Celebrating their ten year anniversary, this year Dark Follies is showcasing performers who have shared the stage with the troupe over the past decade of their history as street performers in Portland.
Dark Follies will perform in Congress Square Park every First Friday Art Walk through October. Enjoy them again and again!

Portland Ovations presents "En Masse"
2018-05-04 17:00 - 18:30
During May’s First Friday Art Walk, join Daniel Bernard Roumain in Monument Square around 5 p.m., then follow him and myriad musicians from performance to performance down Congress Street to Congress Square Park. There, witness a massive community jam session led by DBR, featuring over 40 musicians!
“Daniel Bernard Roumain—innovative composer, thrilling violinist, and fierce arts advocate—returns to Portland for an expansive musical spectacle that is part flash mob and part processional. Celebrating music and community, En Masse features an array of Maine musicians of all ages with Roumain as maestro and pied piper, leading a musical parade through the Arts District from Monument Square down Congress Street, culminating in a community jam in Congress Square Park. Known for his signature violin sounds infused with a myriad of electronic and urban music influences, DBR takes his genre bending beyond the stage and into the streets.”
FMI: See the Facebook event

Chase the Chill: Knitting in Public
2018-05-03 09:30 - 11:00
Chase the Chill: Knitting in Public is a casual hand-crafts group that meets weekly in the Square. If you’re a knitter or crocheter, gather with others to create craft and community each week!
*This event is weather-permitting. Should rain or inclement weather occur, the group will likely meet in the Reiche School Community Room.*

Knitting in Public is hosted in Congress Square Park weekly every Thursday from 9:30 until 11 am May through September.

Tai Chi Chih & Qigong
2018-05-02 10:00 - 11:00
Take an hour out of your busy week to enjoy a free Tai Chi Chih/Qigong class.
Tai Chi Chih (pronounced tie chee cha) is like moving meditation. It consists of 19 movements and one posture.
Tai Chi Chih creates an awareness of and influences dimensions of our being that are not part of traditional exercise programs. It’s a non martial form of Tai Chi that increases the life force or vital energy that flows through us and all things in the universe. Various studies from Harvard Medical School and UCLA cite the many benefits of regular practice.
Classes will be taught by Raymond Reid or Sara Leonard.

Tai Chi Chih/Qigong classes will be taught in Congress Square Park in May through October, excepting July. All classes will occur weekly on Wednesdays from 10 until 11 am.

Temporary Art by Athena Lynch
2018-04-25 - 2018-05-05
Friends of Congress Square Park has partnered with the Maine College of Art during our 2018 season to feature temporary student artist work. Athena C. Lynch is the first artist in the series. Her work, “REQUIEMS TO SEPIA EXISTENCE”, will be on view in Congress Square Park from April 25 through May 5, 2018.
To learn more about this partnership, see our blog post.

REQUIEMS TO SEPIA EXISTENCE
REQUIEMS TO SEPIA EXISTENCE is in homage of Tamir Rice, 12 and Aiyana Jones, 7, who were both victims of police shootings. The piece will lay in state for 9 days* in illustration of the length of time (9 hrs) taken for Tamir to receive medical attention after being shot. Aiyana’s time was much shorter and therefore fit within his time frame. This installation is confronting the violence and lack of empathy towards African Americans locally, as well as, nationally. Systemic racial disparities that perpetuate said indifference and, in some instances, fueled violence towards that community. This work is a calling to SEE US! See us as human beings, not just as an outline of who we used to be.
*Initial time frame was for 9 days (April 25 through May 3, 2018), but deinstallation has been extended to May 5 in order to be on display for First Friday

Artist Statement
“I never categorized myself as a political artist. However, due to the political and social climate of late, that changed. My work has been about social-isms. Specifically, being black and how that skin is viewed in society. My work conjures visceral reactions that speak to the climate of the world on both a local and national scale.
I let the narrative tell me how it desires to be illustrated. To me, my art serves as the voice of my ancestors speaking through me and guiding my hands. I feel it is my responsibility to tell those stories. My passion is education and I take up that charge of informing youth and even peers who simply aren’t aware. The best way to describe who I am as an artist and a black woman in the present climate of America can be articulated by two artists I look up to:
‘To be a negro in this country and be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time.‘ – James Baldwin
‘I choose to reflect the times and situations in which I find myself. That is my duty. And at this crucial time in our lives, when everything is so desperate, when every day is a matter of survival, I don’t think you can help but be involved.‘ – Nina Simone”
– Athena Lynch, 2018

Artist Biography
Athena C. Lynch was born and raised in New Jersey where she was constantly surrounded by creativity. Her mother was an artist and fashion designer. That, along with her appreciation for multiculturalism, are what influence her work today. Currently residing in Richmond, Maine, Athena is a student at Maine College of Art in Portland. There she is pursuing a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Sculpture and eventually a Master of Arts in Teaching for art education.
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Event Volunteer Information Session & Orientation!
2018-04-21 13:00 - 14:00
Do you want to have a positive impact on our city and community?
Are you interested in getting to know your neighbors?
Would you like to volunteer while attending fun events you’re interested in?
Want to feel like you’re a part of growing something special?
Become an Event Ambassador with Friends of Congress Square Park!
We’re seeking folks who would like to represent FoCSP at four or more events of your choosing from May through October throughout the 2018 season. You would be the host of the events, greeting the artists and performers, making announcements to kick off the evening, and being present for the duration of the event to mingle, share information on FoCSP, and ensure a successful event.

Want to learn more?
Join us in Congress Square Park Saturday, April 21st or Saturday, April 28th from 1 until 2pm for an information session and orientation. While munching on snacks, we’ll provide an overview of the role, give you a tour of the park’s amenities, and answer any questions you have. Bring your calendar to sign up for volunteer spots!

If you cannot make it to either orientation and are interested in volunteering, let us know by sending us a note here.
Questions? Contact Dela Murphy, Executive Director, at dela@congresssquarepark.org.

Let's Clean Up the Square!
2018-04-21 09:00 - 12:00
Join us the morning of April 21 from 9am until noon for a park clean up morning! We’ll clean off the winter grime and prepare the park for a season of spectacular events and some Spring gardening.
Drop in any time. Dress in comfortable layers, in clothing you don’t mind getting a bit dirty. Note that the morning may end prior to noon, so we recommend arriving earlier, if possible.

Additional volunteer days early in the season include:
– Saturday, April 28 from 9am until noon: Gardening & Park Set Up Morning!
– Saturday, June 2 from 9am until noon: Moveable Planter Gardening & Painting Morning!

Email Dela Murphy, Executive Director, with questions at dela@congresssquarepark.org.

Chase the Chill Mitten Tree!
2017-12-29 08:00 - 15:00
Share the Warmth! Chase the Chill knitting group is hosting a Mitten Tree this season in Congress Square Park.
The tree will be home to donated Winter items – mittens, scarves, hates, etc. – which will be hung in the park the morning of Friday, December 29th. Folks in need are free to take what they need until around 3PM that day, at which time all leftover items will be collected and donated to the American Legion.
To be a part of the goodness, bring your donations – hats, scarves, mittens, slippers, etc. for men, women and kids – knitted or crocheted to the Reiche Community Room, upstairs on Clark Street, between 8-10 a.m. Monday-Thursday preceding the event.
For up to date information on this event, tune in to the Chase the Chill Facebook page.

World AIDS Day Candle Lit Vigil
2017-12-01 17:15 - 18:00
Join Frannie Peabody Center along with a special presentation from Lumenarrt as we remember those we’ve lost and show support for those living with HIV/AIDS. Battery operated candles will be available when you arrive at Congress Square Park.
This year’s World AIDS Day coincides with Portland’s First Friday Artwalk. Many community partners have generously donated their time and effort to pay tribute on this important day. For a full list of events, visit www.peabodycenter.org/worldAIDSday

Share the warmth! Winter Clothing Giveaway
2017-11-11 08:00 - 15:00
Chase the Chill knitting group is hosting a warm clothing giveaway this Veterans Day!
Donated Winter items – mittens, scarves, hats, etc. – will be hung in the park the morning of Saturday, November 11th. Folks in need are free to take what they need until around 3PM that day, at which time all leftover items will be collected and donated to the American Legion.
To be a part of the goodness, bring your donations – hats, scarves, mittens, slippers, etc. for men, women and kids – knitted or crocheted to the Reiche Community Room, upstairs on Clark Street, between 8-10 a.m. Monday-Thursday preceding the event.
For up to date information on this event, tune in to the Chase the Chill Facebook page.

Portland Culture Exchange Presents: The City of Portland, ME
2017-11-03 17:00 - 19:00
AFRiCAN DUNDADA & The Portland Culture Exchange bring to you another great day to be in the Portland area. Come join us for some great art, live music, and comedy – and meet your neighbors.
The Portland Culture Exchange team will be kicking off some more community singing and dancing for you to join in as we celebrate The City Of Portland, our city, a beautiful and welcoming place with so much culture and love. Let’s celebrate who we are. Special live performance by some of your favorite local musicians Like Ben Shorr, Distant Brothers, Gold D, LOC DAB, Kid Calvin and more to come!
