Menu

kennebunkport events

SECRET GARDENS OF THE KENNEBUNKS – JULY 11 – 10 AM to 3 PM

According to Cicero, “if you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”

Saturday, July 11 

10 AM – 3 PM

BUY TICKETS

 

ONE OF GRAVES LIBRARY’S MOST POPULAR EVENTS—THE SECRET GARDENS OF THE KENNEBUNKS TOUR—PROVIDES RARE ACCESS TO LOCAL GARDENS ON JULY 11 RAIN OR SHINE

Tickets are $60 in advance and $70 on July 11. Buy tickets here.

A detailed map revealing the secret locations of the participating properties will be provided to all ticket holders on the day of the tours at Consolidated School, 25 School Street.

Occurring just every other year, the Secret Gardens of the Kennebunks Tour gives town residents and visitors rare access to seven of the most beautiful local gardens in our lovely coastal town. This year’s event to benefit the Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library is slated for Saturday, July 11, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

This delightful summer activity is one of the library’s most popular events. Gardens tour participants are treated to a wide variety of garden styles and environments amid lovely natural settings from stately mansions to quaint seaside cottages. Volunteers will be located at each garden to help with questions and where to park.

A special Garden Tour Preview Party for garden owners and sponsors will be held at Mélange Home Shop in Lower Village, Kennebunk on Friday, July 10, from 5-7 PM. Mélange is a unique retail shop created by Paula and Clayton Daher, the mother and son duo of Daher Interior Design. Mélange specializes in globally and locally sourced home furnishings. Wine and hors d’ oeuvres will be served.

Flowers and gardens are part of the Graves Library DNA—Kennebunkport artist Abbott Graves (1859-1936), the father of the library’s namesake, was famously known for his spectacular floral paintings.

The Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library, housed in an historic building located near Kennebunkport’s famous Dock Square town center, is a full-service free library whose mission is “to enrich the lives of all we serve.”

All proceeds for this event benefit the Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library. Please call us with any questions. (207) 967-2778.

Thank you, Rose, Petal Partner and Peony sponsors! Bill Weidner

 

Thank you, Dahlia and Sunflower sponsors!

Mainely Experiences, Coastal Threads, Ann Field, A Highlanders Garden, Vicky & Mark LaMarre, Cummings, Lamont & McNamee, Azalea Events, Sarah & Tom Vander Schaaff, Lisa Coppola, Ryans Irish Pub, White Barn, Pedros, Connie Dykstra, Tricia Flaherty, Sandi & Brian Lincoln, Marcia Madeira, Sean Morrissey, Cyndi Magill, Robin Ellis, Catherine McLaughlin, Doro Bush Koch, Amelia Dickson, Pat Notman, Gretchen Huber, Susan Lee Warner, Susie Winstanley, Tara Scopelliti

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SYRIA & IRAQ CLASS WITH LOU SALOME

Thursdays, April 3, 10, 17 & 24, 12-2 PM

The first class (April 3) will look at Syria yesterday, today, and tomorrow. April 10, 17, and 24, Lou will share the history of Iraq. The class is from 12:00-2:00. Lou is the author of “Violence, Veils and Bloodlines: Reporting from War zones in Europe, Asia and Africa”. He earned a BS from the College of the Holy Cross and an MA from Boston College. He is a retired COX Newspapers reporter who has covered the conflicts in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the Middle East. Please park on the street, as the library has limited parking spaces and needs them for staff and members. Online registration is required; please visit https://south-coast-senior-college.coursestorm.com or call South Coast Senior College at 274-3105.

 

 

The Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library is located at 18 Maine Street, Kennebunkport. For further information, please call 967-2778 or visit our website at www.graveslibrary.org.

AUTHOR EVENT – DAVID ROHDE – NOVEMBER 9 @ 4:00 PM

We are pleased to welcome Pulitzer Prize Winning Author and Maine native David Rohde to the Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library on Saturday, November 9 @ 4:00 p.m. Mr. Rohde will be interviewed by author and associate editor for the Washington Post, David Maraniss. Rohde’s book (published August 2024), Where Tyranny Begins: The Justice Department, the FBI, and the War Against Democracy will be featured in the discussion. 

A suggested donation of $25 would be appreciated. Please stop by the Library or call (207) 967-2778 to reserve your seat. You may also purchase your ticket through our website (www.graveslibrary.org/support).  A wine and cheese reception and book signing will follow. The Library is located at 18 Maine Street, Kennebunkport, Maine. Parking is available at Consolidated School (School Street) or the Village Fire Station (North Street). 

A ride shuttle will be provided by Kennebunkport Recreation from Consolidated School from 3:15 to 3:45 p.m. and return from 6:00 to 6:30 pm after the program.

 

David S. Rohde is an investigative journalist and American author. He is the former news director for The New Yorker and now serves as Senior Executive Editor, National Security for NBC News. While a reporter for The Christian Science Monitor, he won the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting in 1996 for his coverage of the Srebrenica massacre. From 2002 to 2005, he was co-chief of the New York Times’ South Asia Bureau. He later contributed to the newspaper’s team coverage of Afghanistan and Pakistan that received the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting, and was a finalist in his own right in the category in 2010. He is also a global affairs analyst for CNN.

While in Afghanistan, Rohde was kidnapped by members of the Taliban in November 2008 but managed to escape in June 2009 after seven months of captivity. His publications include  Endgame: The Betrayal and Fall of Srebrenica, Europe’s Worst Massacre Since World War II; A Safe Area: Srebrenica – Europe’s Worst Massacre Since the Holocaust, 1997;  A Rope and a Prayer: A Kidnapping from Two Sides; In Deep: The FBI, the CIA, and the Truth about America’s “Deep State” and Where Tyranny Begins: The Justice Department, the FBI, and the War Against Democracy.

David Maraniss is a New York Times bestselling author and associate editor at The Washington Post. He has won two Pulitzer Prizes for journalism and was a finalist three other times. Among his bestselling books are biographies of Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Roberto Clemente, Jim Thorpe and Vince Lombardi, and a trilogy about the 1960s. He currently lives in Washington D.C. and Madison, Wisconsin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 TOPIC CLASS WITH LOU SALOME

TOPIC 1. American society in the 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s through the eyes of Number 42, Jackie Robinson. The core of this class is baseball in New York City and the United States during those three decades, but the story is as much about American society and American history, as it is about baseball.

Noon to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, October 8 Graves Library

Topic 2: Afghanistan — all you didn’t know about the country and the longest war in United States history. I’ll tell that story from personal experience and Afghanistan’s history, complete with a burqa (burka), a Taliban turban, and a Tajik-style Pakul (hat), each of which you can touch and wear.

noon to 2  Tuesdays — October 15, 22 and 29 Graves Library

Your Instructor:  Lou Salome

Lou is the author of “Violence, Veils and Bloodlines: Reporting from War zones in Europe, Asia and Africa”. He earned a BS from the College of the Holy Cross and a MA from Boston College. He is a retired COX Newspapers reporter who has covered the conflicts in Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Middle East.

Online registration is required; please visit: https://south-coast-senior-college.coursestorm.com/course/2-topics-jackie-robinson-the-longest-war-in-us-history-the-logest-war

or call South Coast Senior College at 274-3105.

The Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library is located at 18 Maine Street, Kennebunkport. For further information, please call 967-2778 or visit our website at www.graveslibrary.org.

PLANTING FOR CLIMATE RESILIENCE – MAY 8 @ 5:30 PM

PLANTING FOR CLIMATE RESILIENCE IN NORTHEAST LANDSCAPES

WEDNESDAY, MAY 8 AT 5:30 PM

Together with our Friends of Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, we are very excited to be hosting members of the Wild Seed Project. In addition to helping to sustain vital pollinators, birds, and other wildlife, native plantings offer countless other benefits that are indispensable in the age of climate change. When created and maintained with ecologically attuned landscaping practices, they can minimize flooding and storm water runoff, shade and cool cities, survive droughts, and facilitate carbon storage more effectively than the landscapes dominated by turf and mulch that blanket so many of our communities.

Andrea Berry from the Wild Seed Project will talk about the actions you can take to make your corner of the world more biodiverse and resilient to the effects of climate change. Andrea joined Wild Seed Project as the organization’s Executive Director in 2021. She also serves on the Board of Directors at Momentum Conservation and Resources for Organizing and Social Change.

Colin McKevitt, Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge Biological Technician, will address habitat management and native species planting. This includes shrubland habitats, salt marsh field surveying and restoration, and monitoring and managing invasive species. Colin is a key member of the Refuge team and is the manager of the Refuge native plant greenhouse. He instructs interns as well as community volunteers.

Copies of the publication “Planting for Climate Resilience” will be available for sale.

The Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library is located at 18 Maine Street, Kennebunkport. For further information, please call 967-2778 or visit our website at www.graveslibrary.org.

SECRET GARDENS OF THE KENNEBUNKS – JULY 13 – 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

According to Cicero, “if you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”

 

Purchase tickets at Consolidated School on Saturday, July 13

 

We are very pleased to announce that Graves Library’s Secret Gardens of the Kennebunks will be held again on Saturday, July 13, 2024, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (rain or shine). Six homeowners have agreed to open their private gardens for this one day only to help raise money for the Library. Tickets are $40 each. “Day-of” tickets will only be available for sale at Consolidated School.

On the day of the event, ticket holders should begin at Kennebunkport Consolidated School, 25 School Street, to pick up their map and any instructions.

A detailed map revealing the secret locations of the six participating properties will be provided to all ticket holders on the day of the tours. Visitors will be treated to a wide variety of garden styles and plant types amid lovely natural settings hidden from view behind stone walls, seaside cottages, and privacy hedges. Volunteers will be located at each garden to help with questions and where to park.

This year, we are also offering a special addition to the tour. If you are looking for a delicious option for lunch, our friends from Texas Grace will be here with their food truck. We encourage you to use the bathrooms and shop at our pop-up garden boutique. Other bathroom options are located behind Alisson’s Restaurant in Dock Square.

All proceeds for this event benefit the Graves Memorial Public Library. Please call us with any questions. (207) 967-2778.

 

WORLD WAR 1 CLASS WITH LOU SALOME

How World War I and Its Aftermath Created the Modern Middle East with Lou Salome on Wednesday, April 10, 17 & 24, 12-2 PM

First and foremost, there is a series of secret, duplicitous, and contradictory agreements that couldn’t be untangled and create lasting distrust. Imperialists (Britain and France) groped for more as old empires (namely, Ottoman) died. Add to that international intrigue (The League of Nations mandates — to the victors belong the spoils) conflicting with the promised but denied self-determination of some peoples, all mixed in with American isolationism. In the ashes of this explosive mix were many Arab peoples whom the West incredibly robbed of the opportunity to create their democracies. All of this is from a time when oil was barely mentioned. Online registration is required; please visit https://south-coast-senior-college.coursestorm.com or call South Coast Senior College at 274-3105.

 

The Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library is located at 18 Maine Street, Kennebunkport. For further information, please call 967-2778 or visit our website at www.graveslibrary.org.

JOURNALIST SHANNON MULLEN AND GUEST GOVERNOR JANET MILLS – NOVEMBER 5 – 2:00 PM

We hope you will join us on Sunday, November 5 at  2:00 p.m. for a very special event.  Journalist Shannon Mullen will be here (with a special appearance by Governor Janet Mills) to talk about her book  In Other Words, Leadership:  How a Young Mother’s Weekly Letters to Her Governor Helped Both Women Brave the First Pandemic Year.

 

This trip to the “Vacationland” of Maine — where the state motto is I Lead — offers an inspiring tale of civility and purpose, of doing the right thing and not just surviving, but prevailing.

The first woman to serve as Governor of Maine, Janet Mills, had been in office a year when COVID-19 reached the United States. The recently-widowed 72-year-old wrote in her journal there is “no playbook for a pandemic” as she imposed unprecedented restrictions on her state.

When early support for the governor’s response curdled to rampant opposition, a young mother named Ashirah Knapp sent a letter of support from a remote homestead in the woods of Maine. Ashirah’s handwritten dispatch detailed how the public health emergency was upending her family’s life and livelihood, and she promised to keep writing “every week until we are through this time” to remind the governor how many Mainers supported her despite the disruption.

Ashirah’s letters, with their simple wisdom and striking penmanship, stood out in a flood of correspondence Governor Mills was receiving that ranged in tone from appreciative to furious. They helped keep her grounded as she made wrenching, often unpopular choices.

Shannon A. Mullen weaves from these two women’s letters and the governor’s journal, which were never intended for publication, an intimate and compelling true story that is a celebration of civility and compassion in the face of rancor and of resolve in the face of adversity.

Copies of the book will be for sale.  Light refreshments will be served.  Doors open at 1:30.    Parking available at the Village Fire Station (North Street) and Consolidated School (Route 9).  Please call (207) 967-2778 for more information.

Governor Janet Mills:

Janet Trafton Mills is the 75th Governor of Maine and the first woman elected to that office. She was sworn in for her second consecutive term in January 2023 after winning re-election, having earned more votes than any previous Maine governor. She was also the first governor since 1970 to be elected with a majority of the vote, in her case for both terms. Under her leadership during the global COVID-19 pandemic Maine had one of the highest vaccination rates and lowest death rates in the US, as well as one of the strongest economic recoveries among the states. Governor Mills previously served as Maine’s first female Attorney General and its first woman district attorney, as well as in the state’s House of Representatives. She is step-mother to her late husband’s five daughters and a grandmother of five.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author Shannon Mullen:

Shannon A. Mullen is a journalist, author, screenwriter and film producer, playwright and podcast host. She grew up in the White Mountains and Lakes Region of New Hampshire and studied pre-veterinary medicine at UNH after misinterpreting her love of storytelling, inspired by James Herriot’s books, as an inclination toward animal husbandry. She then earned a graduate degree in broadcast journalism at Boston University. Shannon went on to report for national programs on public radio for two decades, including Marketplace, Morning Edition and All Things Considered. Her print journalism has been published by The New Yorker, The Boston Globe and Boston Magazine, among other outlets. She is also developing multiple projects for the screen and stage through her production company Broad Reach.