Maine Lobster Festival

Wednesday to Sunday. Harbor Park, Rockland. mainelobsterfestival.com

If your summer hasn’t been all it’s cracked up to be, claw your way to Rockland and join the crustacean nation known as the Maine Lobster Festival. Harbor Park and surrounding spots become not only the lobster capital of the world but home to a wide range of entertainment including the Sea Goddess Pageant, Coronation Parade, international lobster crate race, arts and craft show, cooking contests, Steins & Vines tasting event, live music and more. Don’t worry if you’re not a lobster eater, the festival also will have plenty of fried clams, shrimp, mussels and a slew of standard summer-fair food options. Here, it’s more than OK to be shellfish.

Originally published at Portland Press Herald.

Happening Sunday at Bayside Bowl, Freshman Orientation features beers from 14 breweries in a speed-dating format.

Many new breweries have opened in remote corners of the state, some in small communities where there is not much opportunity to get to know fellow brewers or customers outside of their immediate area. And for craft beer lovers, it may be difficult to get to exposed to a newer brewery’s beer if it is not yet being distributed beyond its local area.