Halloween 2014 Events: Round #1

WHAT: Damnationland 2014: The Way Life Should Bleed
WHEN: Friday, October 17, 2014 @ 8:00pm
WHERE: State Theatre, 609 Congress St, Portland, Maine
COST: $10 advance / $12 day of show, $5 Student ticket in person. Buy tickets in person at the Cross Insurance Arena Box Office, charge by phone at 800-745-3000 and online at www.statetheatreportland.com
FMI: Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1552564391630543/

If you can't make the premiere tonight, there are showings later in October! Check out the list at http://www.damnationland.com/screenings/

Tonight, Portland’s State Theatre proudly hosts the world premiere of seven short Maine-made films as part of an annual showcase titled Damnationland: The Way Life Should Bleed. The program —- in its fifth year—presents genre-defying original works from Maine filmmakers that redefine the classic thriller and horror categories, leaning toward visions that are surreal, comedic, and artful, while still providing scares, shocks, and surprises.

Damnationland 2014 is produced by Portland residents Allen Baldwin, Eddy Bolz, David Meiklejohn, and Charlotte Warren, and it showcases new films from Maine filmmakers living in the greater Portland area. Jenny Anastasoff (Portland), Barry Dodd (Gorham), Jason M. Bosch (Portland), Ranin Brown (Portland), Corey Norman (South Portland), and Tasty Dude Films (Portland) each directed their own short films, and Through the Door Productions (Biddeford/Portland) created seven short-short films that play between each film, all screening together as one uninterrupted program lasting around 90 minutes.

In 2010, Dennis Perkins at the Portland Press Herald wrote that the Damnationland films are “guaranteed to freak you right the heck out.” Dispatch Magazine called 2011’s Damnationland films a “marvelous collection,” and Emily Burnham at the Bangor Daily News wrote that “For a Maine-made Halloween experience, it’s the whole bag of candy.” In a profile of this fall’s not-to-be-missed events, the Portland Phoenix described the Damnationland films as “ranging from spooky to gory, darkly comedic to downright terrifying.”

The world premiere will begin with an opening reception at 7pm, and includes live music, mingling with the filmmakers and casts of the films, and merchandise for sale. Before the films start, performance artist Aquarius Funkk and ensemble will warm up the crowd with an original piece about corporate hunger and greed. Then at 8pm the program will begin, followed by a talkback from the filmmakers, moderated by the producers. While these films are not rated, they do contain strong language and depictions of violence, and therefore may not be appropriate for younger children or sensitive viewers. Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door, and $5 for students. Information about purchasing advance tickets can be found at the State Theatre website: http://statetheatreportland.com/

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October 17 and 18: Lynne Cullen tells Tales of Terror at Victoria Mansion in Portland! Lynne and her concertina celebrate eight years of scaring the #$%&# out of people! Come hear two classics of Victorian horror, plus a children's show of spooky folktales for the early Saturday show. FMI: http://victoriamansion.org/ This year, Ms. Cullen will feature the works of Sheridan Le Fanu and Lucy Clifford, renowned 19th century horror writers whose works still influence the genre today. These shows are at 6:30 & 8:30 on Friday and 8:30 on Saturday.
The 8:30 performance on Friday has sold out.

A special children's performance (recommended for attendees 12 and under) will be held at 6:30 on Saturday featuring folk tales from around the world.

Tickets are $22 for adults, $15 for Victoria Mansion members and $10 for children 17 and under.

or if you can't make these storytelling nights, try Monday!

WHAT: Seanachie Nights presents: A Celebration of Samhain w/NY bard Peg Aloi
WHEN: MONDAY, October 20 @ 7:00pm-9:00pm
WHERE: Bull Feeney’s Irish Pub/Restaurant on 375 Fore Street, Portland, Maine
COST: FREE - $9.00 suggested donation if you'd like to help support the artists!
FMI: Contact Lynne Cullen at thetwacorbies@yahoo.com or 207-253-0288. Or visit www.lynnecullen.com

On Monday, October 20, balladeer Peg Aloi will share ballads and poetry in a celebration of Samhain.

The 31st of October is known as "Samhain" in the British Isles: Scottish Gaelic for "summer's end." But it's also believed to be a time when the worlds of the living and the dead grow closer. Traditional singer and poet Peg Aloi will share songs and words about autumn, eerie landscapes, witches, ghosts and other fare suited to the season.

Peg Aloi is a traditional singer from Troy, NY, who has sung and recorded music with a number of groups throughout New England. She has also hosted open mics and bardic circles via the pagan festival circuit for several years.

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WHAT: Ragged Isle and Haunt Me doublefeature!
WHEN: Saturday, October 18 at 6:30pm - 8:00pm
WHERE: Alamo Theatre @ 85 Main St, haunted Bucksport, Maine
COST: Free!
FMI: http://www.oldfilm.org/content/alamo-theatre

The Entertainment Experiment presents two popular Maine-made web series screening at the Alamo Theatre in Bucksport Maine on October 18th. Check out the complete final season of the award-winning supernatural murder mystery Ragged Isle and a special episode of the exciting ghost hunting series Haunt ME shot at Fort Knox! This will be the first place you'll be able to see the series finale of Ragged Isle. We hope you can join us and be a part of Maine web series history! More details to follow. for more information on Ragged Isle and Haunt ME, check out the online network The Entertainment Experiment at www.entertainmentexperiment.com

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WHAT: Hanover House and Haunt Me doublefeature
WHEN: WEDS. OCTOBER 22nd 2014 at 7:00PM
WHERE: Nickelodeon/Patriot Cinemas, 1 Temple St, Portland, Maine
FMI: Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1470545906560738/

Come to this very special ONE NIGHT ONLY double feature to kick Halloween week off right. Join us for HANOVER HOUSE, with special guest openers HAUNT ME, showing their second season episode "The Moon (Mill Agent's House)".

HANOVER HOUSE: Returning from his father’s funeral, Robert Foster is faced with the unimaginable; he hits a young girl with his car. In a desperate attempt to save her life, he seeks help at a nearby farmhouse. Little does Robert know that the house has been waiting for him his entire life. Once inside its walls, Robert must overcome his own personal demon’s in an attempt to save both his wife and himself. But there’s a problem, only one may leave The Hanover House alive.

HAUNT ME: Join paranormal investigators Ashley Brooks (group leader), Ty Gowen (audio analyst), Carol Cleveland (historian), Katie Webb (occultist) and Shawn Ruarke (visual evidence analyst) as they make their way through Maine, learning about their state and its unseen residents in the process.

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Upcoming New England graveyard lectures!

Spirits Alive has just announced three upcoming Saturday afternoon lectures. The talks will explore aspects of Colonial New England burial grounds: customs and symbolism in stones, stone cutter Bartlett Adams, and the status of Portland's small burial grounds.

Stone for Andrew Mackie's Family Tomb, Eastern Cemetery, Portland

WHEN: Saturdays (monthly as listed below), 1:30 - 3:00pm
WHERE: University of Southern Maine, Abromson Center, Wishcamper Building - Room 102, 34 Bedford Street, Portland Maine
COST: Suggested donation: $5.00 per person

Series dates:

January 25: “The Art, History, and Symbolism of Early New England Gravestones”
Presented by the Gravestone Girls - Melissa Anderson, Maggie White, and Brenda Sullivan

February 22: “Bartlett Adams: Portland’s First Stone Cutter”
Exploring the life, times, and works of the shop of Bartlett Adams, who maintained his shop in Portland, Maine from 1800 to 1828. Lecturer: Ron Romano, member of Spirits Alive Board and Summer Tour Docent

March 29: “The Status and Future of Portland's Forgotten Cemeteries”
A panel of cemetery representatives will discuss several historic small burial grounds in the area and what is takes to restore them to our cultural landscape.

EVENT: Portland's Eastern Cemetery Tours

Sorry you missed Zombie Kickball? Or perhaps in the mood for a more sedate gambol with the dead? Then try one of the many regular tours offered up by Spirits Alive! You can also scroll down further if you are more practical-minded, and peruse the list of workdays when volunteers and those who enjoy the earthy delights of gardening add their touch to the Eastern Cemetery by hand.

Sun, July 13th at 1:00pm — Earliest Portland: The Eastern’s Unmarked Past
In 1632, settlers began arriving at the place we now call Portland. No buildings remain from that time. The open land of Eastern Cemetery is an appropriate site to learn about some of the events of the 17th and early 18th centuries that occurred within sight of the cemetery and shaped Portland’s indomitable spirit.

Saturday, July 19th at 10:00am — Art and the Elements
A fascinating introduction to the geology of the Eastern Cemetery, including markers and monuments; a brief introduction to early mortuary art (as seen on the stones), and the effects of the environment on the site.

Sunday, July 20th at 1:00pm -- Earliest Portland: The Eastern’s Unmarked Past
(see above for description)

Sunday, July 27th, 5pm -- Stroll through the Silent City - The 350 Year History of the Eastern
Stroll through three and a half centuries of the Eastern Cemetery’s intertwined past with the Portland peninsula in this local history-laden tour.

All tours begin at the Congress Street gates of the Eastern Cemetery, and will be cancelled if weather is very rainy. The Eastern Cemetery is located on Congress, Mountfort and Federal Streets at the foot of Munjoy Hill.

Tours take approximately one hour. The ground is uneven at this National Trust for Historic Places site, so please wear appropriate footwear.

Tickets are $7.00 for adults and $4.00 for seniors (62+, children under 12 and students). Cash or check.

WORKDAYS
Join us at the cemetery when we spend the occasional Saturday morning trimming, pruning, cleaning and tidying the landscape. The City of Portland generously supplies us with tools, mulch, water and wheelbarrows, and we train volunteers on how to perform gardening tasks while carefully working around the historic stones. We have a good time and sometimes even break a sweat!

NEXT WORKDAY: Saturday, July 12th, from 9:00am to 1:00pm
Spice up your summer with a little planting/watering/mulching in the cemetery! All are welcomed, green thumb or not. Wear sensible shoes, bring work gloves, a bottle of water and sunscreen or a hat. Bring tools if you have them – a rake, shovel, pruning shears, and wheelbarrow are very useful. We also take loan of City tools so those will be available. Not up to planting trees? We have light pruning and trimming to do as well, and though volunteers have already done a trash pick-up, there's more to do.

Mark your calendar with these remaining workdays: August 9, and September 13.

Spirits Alive is a non-profit organization that supports public access to, events and education, and a master conservation plan for Portland’s Historic Eastern Cemetery.

FMI: www.spiritsalive.org (...and while you're at their site, click on their LINKS page for a remarkable collection of cemetery-friendly websites!)

EVENT: Historic Fort Knox 2008 dates

Of special interest in the list of events from Fort Knox this year is the increasingly popular Paranormal/Psychic Faire in July, featuring Maine's own Loren Coleman, and paranormal groups from across New England. From the Ellsworth American:

Special Event Schedule Released for Fort Knox
Thursday, May 01, 2008

PROSPECT — The Friends of Fort Knox organization has released its special event schedule for 2008.

The group has added four full moon viewing dates at the Penobscot Narrows Observatory, which will stay open until midnight on July 18 and 19 and Aug. 15 and 16. The observatory’s regular daily operating hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. expand to a 7 p.m. close during the months of July and August.

The Scottish Tattoo sponsored by the Maine St. Andrew Society and the Friends will take place on Saturday, July 12, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The event will feature traditional Scottish bagpipers, precision marching bands and a patriotic salute to America.

Tickets are available in advance at the FFK gift shop or by calling (207)469-6553.

The Psychic/Paranormal Faire takes place the weekend of July 5 and 6, headlined by renowned cryptozoologist and author Loren Coleman, who has appeared on the Travel Channel’s “Weird Travels” and whose new book, “Mysterious America,” has been published by Simon & Schuster.

The Central Maine Paranormal Investigation group will team up with the Massachusetts Paranormal Team to provide lectures and hands-on ghost hunting tips.

Yearly Friends-sponsored special events such as the 20th Maine Civil War encampments, cannon firings, Will Cotton’s Civil War Battery and a five-night Fright at the Fort will return for visitors to the fort.

Tickets for the fort and Penobscot Narrows Observatory go on sale to the public at Fort Knox beginning Monday, May 1.

The Friends of Fort Knox will sell advance tickets for the fort and observatory to groups of 10 or more. Fort Knox and the observatory are open to the public from May 1 to Oct. 31. For a complete list of Friends of Fort Knox special events and to check fort/observatory admission fees, visit fortknox.maineguide.com online.

EVENTS: Crescent Moon Herbals shop

For those who are in the Lebanon, Maine, area, and who are interested in a variety of pursuits:

Crescent Moon Herbals Events Calendar
Below is the current list of events (as of this date) scheduled at the shop. Pre-registration is required on most classes and restrictions apply. Some events require a minimum attendance. Classes are always being added so for the most current information, please go to www.crescentmoonherbals.com and click on the Calendar link for details & pricing on any of these events.

All classes & events begin at the designated time scheduled.

April 20: Monthly Drumming Journey Circle, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Donations.
April 21: Mead and Winemaking with Jonathan Cyr, 2-4 p.m.
April 21: SPECIAL EVENT & BOOK SIGNING WITH Freddy Silva: Coding The Earth: Crop Circles, Cathedrals, Sacred Sites and the Coming Human Evolution, 7-9 p.m.
April 22: Readings with Ralph, 11-1 p.m.
April 22: Earth Day Self- and Earth-Healing Didgeridoo Meditation/Journey with Joseph Carringer, 1-3 p.m.
April 22, May 20, June 10, Sept. 9, Oct. 21, Nov. 18: Reaching Into the Heart of the Goddess, 4:30-8:30 p.m.
April 26: LifeBreath with Valerie Davis. 7-9 p.m.
April 28: Learn to Read Tarot with Valerie, 2-3 p.m.
April 29: Spirit Messenger - Isabeau, 11-4 p.m.
May 5: A day of Psychic and Medium Readings with Renown Psychic Medium Joanne Gerber, 11:30-4:30 p.m. Waiting list only.
May 6: Readings with Ralph, 11-4 p.m.
May 6: Introduction to Wicca, 12-4 p.m.
May 12: Informational Gathering: �Asatru 101/Norse Tradition, 1 p.m. Donations.
May 18: Drumming Journey Circle, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Donations.
May 19: Come and make a fairy house (kids & parents) with Carol Hutchins, 1-3 p.m.
May 24: Creating Prosperity with the Angels with Elizabeth Foley, 7-9 p.m.
May 27: Chair Massage with Sheri Clarke, 11-4 p.m.
May 31: LifeBreath with Valerie Davis. 7-9 p.m.
June 16: Psychic Development with Carol Hutchins, 2-4 p.m.
June 24: Chair Massage with Sheri Clarke, 11-4 p.m.
June 30: Reiki 2 Certification with Greg Phillips, 10-2 p.m.
June 30: Didgeridoo Meditation/Journey with Joseph Carringer, 3-5 p.m.

First Sunday of each month: Readings with Mystic Medium Ralph Reinard and Reiki with Greg Phillips, 11-4 p.m.;
Thursdays : Native American Energy Healing and Finding your Totem Animals with Prairie Walker, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.;
Fridays & every third Saturday: Psychic Readings with Carol Hutchins, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.;
Every third Friday: Drum Journey Circle, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.;
Every Fourth Saturday: Tarot Card Readings, Past Life Regression & Hypnosis with Valerie Starr, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.;
Last Thursday of each month, LifeBreath with Valerie Davis, 7-9 p.m.

Crescent Moon Herbals, LLC
76 Center Road
Lebanon, ME 04027
207-457-1114