On Saturday, March 14, to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Maine’s statehood, the Farnsworth Art Museum, the Center for Maine Contemporary Art (CMCA), and The Strand Theatre will host a Bicentennial Birthday Bash in Rockland. The multi-venue event will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and will feature art trails, art making, storytelling and a traditional Maine bean supper. The event, including museum admission to the Farnsworth and CMCA, as well as the culminating show at the Strand, is free to the public and no reservations are necessary. The birthday bash will also include a food drive for the AIO Pantry to benefit their child hunger program “snacks for backpacks.” The public is invited to bring food donations and drop them off at any one of the partner organizations throughout the day-long event, or at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church during the bean supper.

The Farnsworth, CMCA (21 Winter St.), and the Strand Theatre (345 Main St.) invite the public to Rockland for an all-day, city-wide birthday bash to celebrate Maine’s 200th anniversary of statehood. Participants will be given a “passport” to be stamped at the various activity stations.

The day will begin with a 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. session that will include the following activities: CMCA will host a special Maine-themed ArtLab. Alexis Iammarino, ArtLab's lead artist, will engage community members of all ages in creating an original three-dimensional mural sculpture made of polygonal panels to form a multi-faced geodesic piece.

The Farnsworth (16 Museum St.) will unveil a special audio-guide trail that will lead visitors through a history of Maine as seen through the eyes of its artists.  At the Farnsworth’s Gamble Education Center, on the corner of Union and Grace Streets, a birthday party will take place featuring Maine-themed games such as a “Lobster Toss” and birthday snacks.In the Farnsworth’s library, the Strand’s staff invites the public to share their Maine stories in a series of video interviews to be compiled into a documentary film, shown at the Strand Theatre at the end of the day. Historic Maine films will be showing throughout the day in the Farnsworth’s auditorium.

From 12:30 - 5 p.m., the party will continue with a traditional Maine bean supper at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church (11 White St.) in Rockland, hosted in partnership with Rockland’s One Community Many Voices, and Café Miranda (15 Oak St.)

From 2 to 5 p.m. the following activities will take place at other partnering organizations: The Rockland Historical Society members will be on location at the bean supper to share information about Rockland's past. In addition to having copies of their historic books for sale, they will provide information for families and downtown businesses who would like to learn more about their home or building's history. At the Project Puffin Visitor Center, from 2 to 5 p.m., the public is invited to learn all about puffins with Seabird Sue! Activities will include making a puffin hat, a seabird scavenger hunt, dressing up like a puffin and learning about their adaptations, and making a button to take home.  At the Rockland Public Library, from 2 to 4 p.m., participants will learn to make a yarn doll. Before there were toy stores, children in Maine often made their own toys. One example is a soft yarn doll. Come to the Children's Room at the Rockland Public Library to learn how to make a yarn doll of your own or one to give to a friend. The Atlantic Baking Company will be open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and will provide free samples of pastries throughout the day.

 Finally, at 5 p.m., the celebration will culminate at the Strand Theatre for The Bicentennial Birthday Bash Show. From 5 to 6 p.m., the public is invited to a show that will include Penobscot storyteller John Bear Mitchell, Maine tourism commercials created by the Ash Point Community School's 4th grade class, and a short documentary made up of interviews filmed that morning at the Farnsworth. The event will also include the unveiling of the sculpture created that day at CMCA's ArtLab.

The Bicentennial Birthday Bash in Rockland is funded in part by a grant from the Maine Bicentennial Commission. More information may be found at www.farnsworthmuseum.org