The Dynamic Dirt Challenge is a hardcore 4+ mile obstacle course designed to challenge your all around strength, stamina, mental grit. By registering in this off-road challenge, you will unlock a true sense of accomplishment, have a great time, and discover camaraderie with your fellow participants. Choose how you will compete in the race: start in the women or men’s heats, or enjoy the race with a team of friends who help each other conquer the course together. Costumes are welcome, but not required. Awards presented to the top three women, men, and teams. The best costume in each category will also receive a prize. As challenging as this course is, you will be rewarded at the finish line with a beer, a laugh, and a rockin’ live band. Registration is now open. Registration cost before March 1 is $55, and after is $60-$65.

dynamicdirtchallenge.com

Choice is a one-of-a-kind Maine art show that makes you part of the jury. It starts with 72 original works from 12 artists. Your vote will narrow the field to 36 works that will be hung at Maine Art Shows in Kennebunk. The show runs through July 5. Go to maine-art.com/choice for more information and to make your selections. Voting begins April 2 and closes May 31.

maine-art.com/choice

In conjunction with the Kennebunkport Festival, on Saturday, June 9th from 3:00pm – 6:30pm, each of the eight member inns of the Historic Inns of Kennebunkport (HIK) will be hosting a Garden Party. Wine, tea and hors d’oeuvres will be served. The Garden Parties are only open to guests staying at one of the HIK inns: 1802 House, Bufflehead Cove Inn, Cape Arundel Inn, Captain Fairfield Inn, Captain Jefferds Inn, Captain Lord Mansion, the Inn at English Meadows, or Maine Stay Inn. Transportation between the inns will be provided.

To learn more about the Kennebunkport Festival, visit the Kennebunkport Festival’s homepage!

SailMaine's fifth annual Open House will include free sailboat rides in Portland Harbor for people ages 8 and older, shore-side boat rigging and knot tying demonstrations among other fun activities for all ages.  A hot dog cart nearby and other snacks will available throughout the day. This event is a great way to learn a little about sailing and about an important nonprofit organization within the community. Each year hundreds of people are intorduced to sailing thanks to this organization. Rain date June 17.

 The 10th annual George H.W. Bush Celebrity Golf Classic will take place June 13 at Cape Arundel Golf Club in Kennebunkport.  Proceeds from the tournament benefit Gary’s House, a safe and affordable short-term home for those with a loved one receiving medical treatment in a Portland hospital. Each year, the Point of Light Award is given to the individual or group that has made a significant contribution to the success of Gary’s House. Previous recipients include President George H.W. Bush, American Airlines and the Maine PGA Professionals. This year’s award will be presented by Eileen Skinner, president and CEO of Mercy Hospital. The George H.W. Bush Celebrity Golf Classic is one of the top fundraisers for Gary’s House and essential to supporting ongoing operations. It has historically raised more than $150,000 for the charity.

mercyhospitalstories.org

By popular demand, the 2012 Twilight 5K will be open to men and women this year, giving everyone a chance to enjoy the same beautiful running course used by the all-women’s triathlon. Registration will open on March 1, and a $100 fundraising minimum is required to participate.

mainetriforacure.com

This exhibition examines Frank W. Benson's long and productive career in the context of his life and work at his summer home, Wooster Farm, on the island of North Haven. The exhibition will focus on the influence North Haven, as well as his family life and activities there, had on Benson, who divided his time between being a teacher and co-director of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and summering on the small Maine island. Through paintings, both oil and watercolor, drypoints, etchings, and lithographs, the exhibition will illustrate the important ways in which life on North Haven affected Benson's art. These works, along with accessories and elements from his famous paintings, as well as family photographs and the tools and equipment he used to create his works, will present not only the art of a creative and talented artist but also an intimate portrait of a dedicated teacher and devoted family man. Consisting of approximately 80 works in various media, the show will be organized by guest curator Faith Andrews Bedford, renowned Benson scholar, and Farnsworth Chief Curator Michael K. Komanecky. The exhibit runs through the end of December 2012.

 farnsworthmuseum.org

The Cromwell Center for disabilaties awareness is honoring Kim Block at their 2012 Annual Dinner and Auction. Kim is news anchorwoman for WGME Channel 13 in Portland, Maine. Kim is one of Maine’s most respected and beloved news anchors. She specializes in medical/health reporting, for which she has received both Emmy and Edward R. Murrow awards. She is in the Maine Broadcasting Hall of Fame and is a recipient of the YWCA's Women of Achievement Award and the University of New England Deborah Morton Award.

cromwellcenter.org

An Opening Night Soiree will be held Friday evening, June 22, from 5:30–7:30 p.m. Tickets are $75 per person and $60 per person for Society members. For tickets, call the Society at 207.967.2751, email kporths@roadrunner.com, or purchase by clicking here. All soiree tickets must be pre-purchased.

The Kenneth Roberts Estate, or Rocky Pastures, is a sprawling stone house that was built for Kenneth Roberts in 1938 by the architect Frazier Forman Peters of Westport, CT. Set in rolling meadows and wooded areas with ancient stone walls, Rocky Pastures is a 6,000 square foot house with 12 rooms that was recently updated, combining old world charm with modern conveniences. The property is a stone’s throw from Kennebunkport’s picturesque Ocean Avenue. It was here that Kenneth Roberts penned his popular novels of historical fiction that earned him a 1957 Pulitzer Prize in the Special Awards and Citations category.

kporthistory.org

 The Pen Bay Healthcare Foundation invites you and your loved ones for a day of fun fitness at their first-ever Pen Bay Challenge. Participants may choose to do the full 40k cycle and 10k run, 10k walk or just do the Fun Run for kids of all ages. Participants can also opt to just cycle or just run. Every dollar pledged to the Pen Bay Challenge directly supports children's programs like Zing, the healthy lifestyle program for kids facing obesity. 

pbmc.org

Mercy Hospital partnered with the Maine Red Claws in the Best Shot for Youth Initiative, which is a program that provides free sports physicals to kids in grades 6–12 who do not have a Primary Care physician.  If you or someone you know has a child that needs a sports physical, call one of the Mercy Primary Care facilities:

Share Our Strength's Taste of the Nation is the nation's premier culinary benefit dedicated to making sure no child grows up hungry, and brings together hundreds of chefs at more than 40 events each year in the U.S. and Canada. 100 percent of ticket sales support No Kid Hungry, Share Our Strength’s campaign to end childhood hunger by 2015. Since 2006, Taste of the Nation Maine has mobilized thousands of volunteers, raised more than $250,000, and funded the most effective anti-hunger organizations across the state. Local organizations supported by Share Our Strength Maine include the Good Shepherd Food Bank, The Preble Street Teen Center, Cultivating Community, and East End Kids Katering (PROP).

strength.org

Start your summer with an evening of great food, wine and music! Four-time Grammy-winning Boyz II Men will headline this fabulous evening of celebrating the music and styles of Motown. Advance ticket purchase is required. $75 per person.

mainewine.com

The reception is free and open to the public. "The Portrait in American Realism" will run from June 13 to July 27. This traveling exhibition — previously on view at Haynes Galleries’ Nashville location — features drawings, paintings, sculptures and photographs from 19th, 20th and 21st century American Realists.

haynesgalleries.com

The Maine Home+Design Show will be held in a specially constructed 30,000 square foot clear span semi-permanent structure on the grounds of Camden Hills Regional High School in Rockport – a more cohesive exhibition experience. Join us on June 30 to July 1 for the Show, which will coincide with Cellardoor Winery’s Pop The Cork celebration scheduled for June 28, is a solid reason for people to make plans for a long weekend in the midcoast of Maine. A weekend that will begin with an incredible wine and food experience and wind down with exhibits at the Show set up over one hundred businesses who help people make their houses homes through redesign and craftsmanship. Don't miss the AIA Pavilion, where 20 visionary architects showcase their designs and meet attendees to answer their design and home-building questions, the only event of its kind in Maine. Here's your chance to see the pages of Maine Home+Design come to life at the Maine Home+Design Show where you'll have the opportunity to see incredible work and discuss your ideas with visionaries leading the way in Maine's vibrant home, design and architecture scene.

mhdshow.com
facebook.com/mainehomedesignshow

Prepare yourselves for an entirely new experience at the Farnsworth Art Museum Summer Gala. On Saturday, June 30, the Gala becomes the 2012 Farnsworth Summer Celebration, a completely re-imagined, exhilirating evening, featuring a delicious dining experience, enjoyed at either a traditional sit-down table, or a the many other dining configurations all under the themed and beautifully decorated tent. The celebration will feature after-dinner dancing, special guest speakers, performance art, and perhaps even a surprise or two. The event will take place on the grounds of the Museum. Cocktail attire. Reservations are $250. RSVP by June 10.

farnsworthmuseum.org