REM

Festival of Trees
2025-11-29 10:00 - 19:00, 2025-11-30 10:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Waterville Elks Lodge, 76 Industrial Street, Waterville, ME, 04901, United States
WATERVILLE – OCTOBER 5 - Alfond Youth & Community Center and Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce combine efforts to present Festival of Trees this holiday season, continuing a proud tradition.
Participation in this year’s event continues a fabulous holiday tradition. At the same time, money raised supports families in the community experiencing food insecurity through the services of Alfond Youth & Community Center and funds workforce development services and assistance through the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce, meeting a need existing throughout our region.
Who doesn’t love a beautiful holiday tree? Imagine over 50 trees, each uniquely decked out in holiday cheer. This wonderful family event will be held at Waterville Elks Banquet & Conference Center, 76 Industrial Rd., Waterville, on November 21-23 and November 28-30. Hours on both Fridays and Saturdays are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. On Sunday, November 23, hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on the final day, November 30, hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Festival of Trees will provide a magical experience that the whole family can enjoy. Admission for ages 12 and over is just $2.00 per person; children 12 and under are admitted for free. Children are also given a free book upon arrival.
Purchase and drop your individual tree tickets (just 50¢ each) into the bucket of your favorite tree, and you could go home with a beautifully decorated tree complete with all trimmings, gift cards, and merchandise displayed. Tree winners will be drawn after 5 p.m. Sunday, November 30, and notified that evening. Trees will be available for pickup on the following Monday and Tuesday.
This year’s 50/50 experience has also been enhanced by increased prize amounts, with a maximum payout of $10,000 daily. Winners will be drawn each day, and you do not need to be present to win. A note: in each of the cases of winning a tree or a 50/50 amount, winners are responsible for any tax implications, and a 1099 Form will be furnished for values exceeding $600.
Please join us for this wonderful holiday experience. Whether you visit to view the trees on display or are willing to volunteer some time to help staff the event, it will be time well spent – and you will be helping support your community through your participation. It takes a substantial number of volunteers for an event of this magnitude. Many volunteer slots are open. For more information about volunteering for a shift or shifts, please visit www.festivaloftreesmaine.net.

National Theatre Live: The Fifth Step
2025-11-29 12:00 - 13:40 | Maine Film Center, 93 Main St., Waterville, ME
Olivier Award-winner Jack Lowden (Slow Horses, Dunkirk) is joined by Emmy and BAFTA-winner Martin Freeman (The Hobbit, The Responder) in the critically acclaimed and subversively funny new play by David Ireland.
After years in the 12-step program of Alcoholics Anonymous, James (Freeman) becomes a sponsor to newcomer Luka (Lowden). The pair bond over black coffee, trade stories and build a fragile friendship out of their shared experiences. But as Luka approaches step five—the moment of confession—dangerous truths emerge, threatening the trust on which both of their recoveries depend.
Finn den Hertog directs the provocative and entertaining production filmed live from @sohoplace on London’s West End.
(R, 100 min.)
Tickets: $13.50-16.00. Eligible for the Youth Arts Access Fund.
tickets + trailer

Parade of Lights
2025-11-29 18:00 | Downtown Waterville, Main Street at Common Street, Waterville, ME
Parade of Lights
Saturday, November 29, 2025 at 6:00 p.m.

The Children’s Discovery Museum is excited to be collaborating with the city of Waterville to host this wonderful event again this year! While we have loved partnering with Winslow each year for the parade, due to ongoing bridge construction, we believe it is safer to keep the parade on one side of the river. We look forward to bringing the parade back across the bridge in the future!
The 2025 Parade of Lights will be held on Saturday, November 29, at 6:00 p.m. Floats will assemble along College Ave, travel down to Main Street, stopping at Castonguay Square for the lighting of the giant spruce and Santa's arrival at Kringleville.
Update: Registration Full!
If you have any questions please contact the Children's Discovery Museum at kringleville@childrensdiscoverymuseum.org.
This event will take place, rain or shine! No rain date.
Thank you to our Grand Marshall Sponsor, Central Maine Motors.
If you have any questions, please call the Children’s Discovery Museum at 207-872-6643.
Children’s Discovery Museum
7 Eustis Parkway
Waterville, ME 04901
kringleville@childrensdiscoverymuseum.org
We look forward to working with you on this spectacular event!

kringleville@childrensdiscoverymuseum.org| kringleville.org

Irving Berlin’s White Christmas
2025-11-29 19:30, 2025-11-30 14:00 | Waterville Opera House, 1 Common Street, Waterville, ME, United States
Dates: November 14, 15, 21, 28, & 29 at 7:30 p.m. + November 16, 22, 23, & 30 at 2:00 p.m.
Organization: Waterville Opera House
Venue: Waterville Opera House, 1 Common Street, Waterville, Maine
This event is eligible for the Youth Arts Access Fund.
Based on the timeless and beloved film, White Christmas follows Veterans Bob Wallace and Phil Davis, who have a successful song-and-dance act after World War II. With romance in mind, the two follow a duo of beautiful singing sisters en route to their Christmas show at a Vermont lodge, which just happens to be owned by Bob and Phil's former army commander. White Christmas is an uplifting, wholesome musical that will delight audiences of all ages.
Sponsored by Marie Cormier, Allen Insurance, Back Office Solutions, Opa, Maine Savings Federal Credit Union, and Lockwood Hotel
Irving Berlin's White Christmas
Based Upon the Paramount Pictures Film
Written For the Screen by Norman Krasna, Norman Panama and Melvin Frank
TICKETS + INFO

Ken Walsh: World Youth Clubs
2025-12-01 12:00 | Chace Forum, Bill & Joan Alfond Main Street Commons, 150 Main St., Waterville, ME, 04901, United States
Mid-Maine Global Forum presents
“World Youth Clubs: Connecting Youth Around the World”
with Ken Walsh
Ken Walsh, coming from the New Rochelle Boys & Girls Clubs as the Assistant Executive for 7 years, began his Maine journey in 1992 when he became the Executive Director of the Waterville Boys & Girls Club. In 1998, following a successful campaign to establish the Alfond Youth & Community Center, the only merged Boys & Girls Clubs and YMCA in the nation, Ken assumed the role of CEO, a position he held until his retirement in 2026. Over the course of his tenure, Ken helped raise over $100 million, transforming the AYCC into a nationally recognized model for youth development.
Ken will be joining us to speak about his transformative work connecting youth in Maine and around the world through sports and cross-cultural exchange.
The talk will be held Monday, Dec. 1st at 12:00pm at the Chace Center in downtown Waterville!
Lunch costs $16. You do not have to order lunch to attend this talk, but if you'd like to buy lunch, please submit your lunch order no later than Friday, November 28.
Order Lunch

Crafternoons
2025-12-02 14:30 - 16:00, 2025-12-09 14:30 - 16:00 | Waterville Public Library, 73 Elm Street, Waterville, ME
Location: Children's Room, Waterville Public Library
Crafternoons are fun weekly crafts for young children and their families! Come to the Children’s Room between 2:30 and 4:00 pm to make the craft with help from library staff.

Crafts for December:
12/02: Snow Shadows
12/09: Snow Bird
12/16: Paper Gnomes
12/23: Paper Gingerbread House
12/30: New Year’s Ribbon Stick

Take pictures of the results and share them in the comments of the Facebook post or tag us on Instagram or Bluesky. We'd love to see what you create!

For more information: Call 207.872.5433 or email ldavis@watervillelibrary.org

Threads & Tales
2025-12-02 17:00 - 18:30, 2025-12-09 17:00 - 18:30 | Waterville Public Library, 73 Elm Street, Waterville, ME
Location: Large Print Room, 4th Floor, Waterville Public Library
Have you been itching to spin a yarn with fellow fiber artists? Check out Threads & Tales at the Waterville Public Library on Tuesdays, at 5:00pm! Crochet, cross-stitch, sewing, quilting, embroidery, needlepoint, etc. - all crafts and all abilities are welcome. Work on your latest project, try something new, share patterns, or check out the Library's crafting resources. This is a relaxed and informal group, you do not have to attend every session. Just pop in whenever it works for you!
Free and open to all adults and teens, coffee and tea will be available.
FMI: Call 207-872-5433 or email librarian@watervillelibrary.org

Ribbon Cutting
2025-12-04 16:00 | Gallant Funeral Home, 10 Elm Street, Waterville
Join us for a ribbon cutting
Thursday, December 4, 4 p.m.
with
Gallant Funeral Home
to be held at
10 Elm St., Waterville

Christmas Carols in the Round
2025-12-04 18:00 | Winslow Congregational Church, 12 Lithgow Street, Winslow, ME
One of Maine’s most beloved and beautiful Christmas-concert experiences returns to Winslow!
On Thursday, December 4, at 6 p.m.
the Mt. View Chamber Singers from Mt. View High School in Thorndike
will present “Carols in the Round”
at Winslow Congregational Church, 12 Lithgow Street.
You’ll enjoy and be enriched by the gorgeous, candle-lit a capella presentation of this 34th annual touring concert, directed by Gregory Judd. Among the memorable carols presented will be classic, timeless standards as well as lesser-known but equally lovely songs and hymns.
Admission is FREE, with donations to help defray the singers’ touring expenses gratefully accepted.
For more information, please call Winslow Congregational Church at 207-872-2544.

Rhymetime
2025-12-05 10:30 - 11:00 | Waterville Public Library, 73 Elm Street, Waterville, ME
Come right to the Children's Department every Friday at 10:30am for songs and stories for babies, toddlers, and their families!
The themes for December 2025 are:
12/05: Letter “L”
12/12: Letter "M"
12/19: Letter "N"
12/26: Holiday Books
FMI: Call 207.872.5433 or email ldavis@watervillelibrary.org.

First Friday
2025-12-05 17:00 - 19:00 | Downtown Waterville, Main Street at Common Street, Waterville, ME
Date: December 5, 2025
Time: 5–7pm
Location: Multiple Locations, Downtown Waterville

At the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, 93 Main Street:
5–7pm Opening Reception Mawte: Bound Together
Join us at the Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art, located in the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, as we celebrate the opening of Mαwte: Bound Together with the exhibition’s curators and artists! Brief remarks and an introduction to the exhibition will take place at 5:30 p.m. Free snacks, music and more! For more info click here.
All Day: Half off all concessions (except alcohol) at the Maine Film Center.
At Greene Block + Studios, 18 Main Street:
6pm Colby Jazz Series: Joe Magnarelli
Over the course of a 40-plus-year career, Joe Magnarelli has emerged as one of the premier trumpeters, improvisers, composers, and educators in jazz. For this special concert closing the Colby Arts Jazz Series, Magnarelli is joined by Richard Clements on piano, Clovis Nicolas on bass, and Joe Strasser on drums.

What are First Fridays?
First Fridays celebrate the vibrant creativity in Waterville through a wide array of arts experiences. On the first Friday of every month, visit downtown Waterville to meet artists, see performances, listen to live music, eat delicious food, shop at local businesses, enjoy the arts, and come together as a community.

Date Night Childcare
2025-12-05 17:00 - 19:30 | Children’s Discovery Museum, 7 Eustis Parkway, Waterville, ME, 04901, United States
Date Night Childcare

Drop the kids off for pizza and playtime with museum staff and volunteers while you have a night to yourself!
Date Nights are November 21 (FULL), December 5, and December 19
5:00-7:30 PM
Open to ages 3 to 8 (all children must be potty trained)
$20 per child for members, $25 per child for non-members

More Info and Tickets

Let’s Sing Taylor
2025-12-05 19:00 | Waterville Opera House, 1 Common Street, Waterville, ME, United States
Date: Friday, December 5 at 7pm
Organization: Waterville Opera House
Venue: Waterville Opera House, 1 Common Street, Waterville, Maine
This event is eligible for the Youth Arts Access Fund.

Let’s Sing Taylor - A Live Band Experience - is the ultimate tribute to the music of Taylor Swift. We can show you incredible things, including the most faithful and lively covers of Queen Taylor’s expansive and sacred catalog. Taking the country by storm, we’re bringing the communal experience of celebrating Taylor’s music in a live setting to Swifties near and far.
So, let the games begin. Calling all Swifties to sing your hearts out and sport your Taylor inspired attire. You can show up at our party any time.
Let’s Sing Taylor is fan-sponsored and not endorsed by, directly affiliated with, maintained, authorized, or sponsored by TAS Rights Management, Taylor Swift, or their affiliated entities.
TICKETS + INFO

The Polar Express
2025-12-06 10:00 - 11:40 | ME
Date: December 6 at 10am
Runtime: 1 hour 40 minutes
MPA Rating: G
Organization: Maine Film Center
Venue: Maine Film Center, 93 Main Street, Waterville, Maine
Free and open to all, ticket reservation encouraged.
Part of Joy to the Ville! See all events here.
A young boy who no longer believes in Santa is visited on Christmas Eve by the Polar Express, a magical train headed for the North Pole. A fast-paced ride awaits the boy and the other children onboard as they learn courage, friendship, and the meaning of Christmas in this beloved classic fit for the whole family.
Directed by Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future, Forrest Gump) and featuring Tom Hanks in multiple roles, The Polar Express is "A story that soars with breakneck pace but slows in all the tender moments. Visually, this train ride is both majestic and edge-of-your-seat."—Duane Byrge, Hollywood Reporter.
tickets

3D Printing: Lithophanes
2025-12-06 10:00 - 13:00 | Ticonic Classroom, Schupf Art Center, 93 Main Street, Waterville, Maine
As part of Joy to the Ville, turn a cherished personal photo into a stunning 3D-printed lithophane — an image that comes to life when illuminated from behind. Once crafted from porcelain in the 1800s, this timeless art form now gets a modern, high-tech twist with 3D printing. Create a truly unique keepsake or one-of-a-kind gift. Pre-registration required.
Age: Adults and Teens. (Ages 13–15 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.)
Limit: 10 participants
Cost: $76. (This workshop is eligible for the Youth Arts Access Fund.)
REGISTER

Craft Fair
2025-12-06 10:00 - 14:00 | Lutheran Church of the Resurrection, 36 Cool St, Waterville, 04901, United States
Cool Neighborhood Association and all community members are invited.

Joy to the Ville
2025-12-06 10:00 - 17:00 | Schupf Art Center, 93 Main Street, Waterville, ME, United States
Embrace the holiday and winter spirit at the eighth annual Joy to the Ville community celebration! Join Waterville Creates, the Colby College Museum of Art, the Waterville Public Library, and the Children’s Discovery Museum as we celebrate the magic of the season with movies, art-making, play, and more!
Highlights include:

Kringleville Santa Claus visits
Diwali celebration
The Polar Express at the Maine Film Center
3D-printing
Button-making
Glass-Blowing demonstration
Popcorn, pizza, hot cocoa, and more!

More Info

Augusta Community Baby Shower
2025-12-06 12:00 - 14:00 | Augusta First Church of the Nazarene, 30 Nazarene Dr, Augusta, ME
Register

Writing Program
2025-12-06 12:00 - 15:00 | Waterville Public Library, 73 Elm Street, Waterville, ME
Get free help with your writing at the Waterville Public Library!
Trained Colby Farnham Writers’ Center tutors can assist at any stage of the writing process!
• Brainstorming an idea or thesis statement
• Developing a rough draft, double-checking grammar
• Polishing a final draft
Fridays, 3:00 - 5:00 pm · Saturdays, 12:00 - 3:00 pm
September
Friday: 9/26
Saturday: 9/27
October
Friday: 10/3, 10/17, 10/24, 10/31
Saturday: 10/4, 10/25
November
Friday: 11/7, 11/14
Saturday: 11/1, 11/8, 11/15
December
Friday: 12/5
Saturday: 12/6
Location: Waterville Public Library, 73 Elm Street, Waterville, ME 04901
Drop-ins welcome! Or book an appointment! 207.872.5433
Free & open to the public.
Presented by the Colby Farnham Writers’ Center, Colby’s Civic Engagement & Community Partnerships Program, and Waterville Public Library.
For more information and other programs offered, visit the Waterville Public Library website: Waterville Public Library - Home

Met Opera Encore: Arabella
2025-12-06 12:55 - 17:00 | Maine Film Center, 93 Main St., Waterville, ME
Strauss’s elegant romance brings the glamour and enchantment of 19th-century Vienna to cinemas worldwide in a sumptuous production by legendary director Otto Schenk that “is as beautiful as one could hope” (The New York Times). Soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen stars as the title heroine, a young noblewoman in search of love on her own terms. Radiant soprano Louise Alder is her sister, Zdenka, and bass-baritone Tomasz Konieczny is the dashing count who sweeps Arabella off her feet.
This presentation is a high-definition broadcast from the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.
(Not Rated, approx. 4 hours)
All Met Opera Encore shows >
Admission: $16-19. Eligible for the Youth Arts Access Fund.
TICKETS

Elm City Music Informance
2025-12-06 13:00 - 14:30 | Greene Block + Studios, 18 Main Street, Waterville, ME
Join Elm City Music for an "informance" at Greene Block and Studios.
So, what's an "informance," anyway?
When I was learning piano many decades ago, I spent countless hours practicing all year, and about 5 minutes performing a piece of music at the year-end recital.
Many beginning students find this nerve-wracking, because they have practiced their instrument, but not their performance!
At ECCMS we offer numerous opportunities for our students to perform on a regular basis--at downtown events, nursing homes, and at an Informance at the end of every session.
An informance combines performance with information (for both performer and audience member) as musicians share what they've been learning and find out what they still need to work on.
Join us on December 6 as we celebrate the progress of our students and share the music we are making in and with our community!
Rebecca Green
Co-founder, ECCMS

Belgrade Holiday Stroll
2025-12-06 16:00 - 19:00 | Water Dance Farm, 538 Augusta Road, Belgrade, ME, 04917, United States

Colby Symphony Orchestra: Stories in Sound
2025-12-06 19:30 | Gordon Center for Creative and Performing Arts, Colby College, Mayflower Hill Drive, Waterville
Directed by Dr. Jinwook Park, this concert will be a wonderful experience for adults and children alike. Maurice Ravel’s orchestral suite Le Tombeau de Couperin will fill the hall with neoclassical orchestral color, and animals will spring to life in Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, narrated by Colby’s own John Ervin. The vibrant Concerto for Concert Marimba, Vibraphone and Marimba de Chonta, by Raúl Esteban Ardila Pineda and highlighting soloist Alejandro Ruiz, adds a thrilling new work to the program, and Jean Sibelius’s Finlandia offers a powerful expression of unity and resilience, written during a time of censorship and long celebrated as a symbol of hope and national pride.
Admission is free, but reservations are recommended.
RESERVE TICKETS

Colin & Brad
2025-12-06 20:00 | Waterville Opera House, 1 Common Street, Waterville, ME, United States
Date: Saturday, December 6 at 8pm
Organization: Waterville Opera House
Venue: Waterville Opera House, 1 Common Street, Waterville, Maine
This event is eligible for the Youth Arts Access Fund.

Get ready for an evening of sidesplitting laughter as Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood, the dynamic duo from TV’s Whose Line is it Anyway?, take the stage in an uproarious live show, Colin Mochrie & Brad Sherwood: Asking for Trouble. With lightning-fast wit, Mochrie and Sherwood transform the audience’s suggestions into an unpredictable evening of non-stop comedy gold. No script? No problem! Asking for Trouble is a wild rollercoaster ride of hilarity, where two improv legends prove they are still the best in the business.
TICKETS + INFO

Christmas Queens Drag Show
2025-12-06 20:00 | Playhouse at Waterville Station, 17 Railroad Square, Waterville
Join us at The Playhouse At Waterville Station for “Christmas Queens” with Lady the Cable Guy!
Christmas season is meant to be spent with your favorite Judy’s and the ones you’re lucky enough to call family!
Join us December 6th with Cherry Lemonade, Cutie Claws, Jen Da’Benda, and your host Lady the Cable Guy!! Showtime is 8PM.
Donations of new unwrapped toys and winter jackets will be accepted in the lobby of the Playhouse. Donated items will go to the VFW Wings Program and the Maine Children’s Home.
Get your “Christmas Spirit” started off early this year with Lady the Cable Guy and her Christmas Queens✨
Tickets available for $15 online or at the door for $20, prepare to laugh your Jingle Bells off and see you this Christmas!
Tickets available here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/christmas-queens-drag-show-tickets-1910550490949?aff=oddtdtcreator
18 and older please.
Contact information: info@theplayhouse.me Randy Jones
Event website: https://www.theplayhouse.me/christmas-queens-drag-show/

If An Owl Calls Your Name
2025-12-09 13:00 | First Congregational Church, UCC, 21 College Avenue, Waterville, ME
Join the Free Global Film Premiere
& Live 5-Day Online Event, Dec 9–13, 2025
with Indigenous Elders, Healers, & Activists
Mending the wounds of forced assimilation, Indigenous elders, healers, and activists from the Esk’etemc, Gitxsan, and Wet’suwet’en territories share a legacy of resilience and ancestral wisdom.
(Not Rated, 92 min., 2025)

Community Screenings of If An Owl Calls Your Name
Daily live sessions with Indigenous Elders, Healers, & Activists
48-hour access to talks if you can’t attend live

Watch the Trailer
