Everything kicks off on January 30th with the 8th annual Winterfest in Harbor Park and the Amphitheatre. The centerpiece of Winterfest activity remains the Community Ice Carving, where teams transform ordinary blocks of ice into sculptures using traditional ice-carving tools.

Also on the 30th, the Rockport Opera House plays host to the "Snow Ball"- a fun dance and social. Doors open at 6:30pm and the Awesome 80s Band will take the stage at 7:30pm. Tickets are $35.

If you enjoy cross-country skiing, Aldermere Farm (home of the famous 'oreo cookie' cows) on Russell Avenue in Rockport has a full moon ski & snowshoe tour on January 30th at 6;30pm.

If cultural and artistic events are more your speed, on Sunday, January 31 the Camden Opera House presents the International Film Festival of the Spirit's Warm Winter Sunday Afternoons at the Movies at 2pm; while the Camden Public Library hosts local high school musical all-stars The Cause on Thursday, February 4th at 7pm. Also, the a cappella group Improvox performs at 7:30pm on Sunday, January 31st at the Carver Hill Gallery Cider Barn in Rockport. For more info (& weather-related cancellations) call Jana at Carver Hill Gallery: 236-0745.

The Juice Conference connects leaders of the creative economy to
foster growth and prosperity. Weaving together the arts, technology,
and entrepreneurship, Juice inspires innovation by bringing talented
people together from widely different backgrounds to build on Maine’s
traditions. Juice is a forum where attendees can learn, exchange ideas,
share success stories and provide input to shape the development of
strategies for Maine’s future.

As a long-time The Mammals fan, I just had to go see Mike and Ruthy performing with Ruth's dad - Jay Ungar and Molly Mason last night at the Chocolate Church Performing Arts Center in Bath. Ruth and Mike are part of The Mammals with my husband's friend Tao Rodriguez Seeger - Pete Seeger's grandson. We've been fans for a long time and always go to see them when they perform in Maine. Last night was quite different - a lot less rock'n'roll and a lot more absolutely phenomenal fiddling. Jay's "Ashokan Farewell", "Lovers' Waltz" and "Wizzard's Walk" were absolutely flawless. They performed a new piece Jay and Molly created for a new Ken Burns' film coming out in 2009 (of The War fame most recently).

The music was fantastic but my favorite part was Will - Mike and Ruth's son who came on stage after intermission and spent the second half of the show hanging out on his mom's back while she took turns playing some amazing fiddle, ukelele, upright base and sang some beautiful harmonies. Will piped in a couple of times, mostly during the instrumentals - I guess he likes his solo. All in all - a great time! It's fantastic to see three generations on stage. Hard not to wonder whether Will might pick up a fiddle himself one day.