Sponsored by Palaver Music Center

I've been getting quite a few emails lately asking me to include more things for kids. And there's a pretty good reason I haven't.

I don't have kids. Most of my friends don't have kids either. So while I like to think I've got a pretty good handle on what's happening around Portland, there's an entire side of this city I know next to nothing about.

And rather than pretend otherwise, I figured it was time to call in some help.

This week's guide is sponsored by Palaver Strings, an organization here in Portland that I care a lot about. You might know them from their concerts, but they also do some pretty incredible work getting instruments into kids' hands.

With their help, I've started putting together a list of things kids can do around Portland after school.

And I've got to say, there's a lot more going on than I realized.

Kids are learning the cello on Cumberland Avenue, writing stories on Washington Avenue, and rehearsing with rock bands on Fore Street. A whole other Portland is happening after school, and until recently, I hadn't given it much thought.

This is by no means a complete list as there are many wonderful programs in Portland. I'm counting on some of you to tell me which other's you love so I can keep adding to it. 

Before I moved to Maine, I took my boyfriend, Brendan, to Athens. We stayed right around the corner from the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates and sat in front of it more times than I can remember.

Years later, someone pointed out that Bug Light was actually modeled after that very monument. Somehow, neither of us had ever noticed the resemblance.

To be fair, I wasn't even living in Maine at the time. Brendan's family has been here for generations, so I feel like I should be allowed to give him a little grief about this one.

The monument in Athens was built in 334 BC to celebrate winning a musical competition. Basically, a very elaborate trophy.

When they built the current Bug Light in 1875, they borrowed its design. They're certainly not identical. One is a marble monument in the middle of Athens, and the other is an iron lighthouse sitting at the end of a breakwater in Casco Bay. But put them side by side and you'll start to notice the round shape, six Corinthian columns, and all those little decorative details.

Naturally, I was curious why someone building a lighthouse in Maine would be looking to ancient Greece for inspiration.

Apparently, the monument was pretty famous among architects in the 1800s. Back in the 1750s, two British architects traveled to Athens to document its ancient buildings. They published their drawings in 1762, giving architects who had never set foot in Greece a chance to study and borrow from the designs.

Elements of the monument started showing up in buildings across America, including the Tennessee State Capitol and Philadelphia's Merchant's Exchange.

And apparently, at the end of a breakwater in South Portland.

Bug Light is made of curved cast-iron plates that were joined together to form the lighthouse. Those fancy Greek columns actually hide the seams where the plates meet.

So they're not just there to look pretty.

Nobody seems to know exactly why that particular monument was chosen, but I love that a design originally used to celebrate a musical competition more than 2,000 years ago ended up being used for a lighthouse in Maine.

🐱 Ducky – 2 yrs
A shy little guy who needs time to warm up. Ducky wants a quiet home without young kids, and a furry friend might help him settle in.

🐱 Tunes – 6 yrs
Also known as Ms. Tuney Balloony. She loves chin scratches, cuddles, and her favorite person. A little opinionated, but fiercely loyal. No kids or dogs for this lady!

If the link doesn’t open anymore, it means they’ve already been adopted!

Punch Brothers @ State Theatre | 8 pm | 🎟️ $41

Olivia Barton with Midge @ One Longfellow Square | 8 pm | 🎟️ $30

Sadurn with Kitchen @ SPACE | 7:30 pm | 🎟️ $18

Saving Abel with Burning Time & Crosshair @ Live at Madrid's | 6:30 pm | 🎟️ $28

Kevin Sullivan @ Empire Comedy Club | 7 pm | Sold Out

Andrea Gibson's Love Letter From The Afterlife @ State Theatre | 7:30 pm | 🎟️ $35

John Gorka @ One Longfellow Square | 8 pm | 🎟️ $35

Geoff Tate @ Aura | 8 pm | 🎟️ $45.50

In Search of Jon Serl @ Mechanics' Hall | 6:30 pm | Free

Mary Beth Keane: Whale Harbor @ Maine Irish Heritage Center | 7 pm | Free – $10

The Science of Cat Color and Personality @ Portland Public Library | 5:30 pm | Free

Big Head Todd and the Monsters @ State Theatre | 8 pm | 🎟️ $45

Wrist Painter: Sascha Braunig Opening Reception @ Portland Museum of Art | 6:30 pm | Free

Orange Bike 3-Year Anniversary Weekend @ Orange Bike Brewing | 4 pm | Free

Memphis Lightning: Personal Obsession Tour @ The Hill Arts | 7 pm | 🎟️ $25

Sam Shackleton with Feral Foster @ Portland House of Music | 8 pm | 🎟️ $15

Ian Edwards @ Empire Comedy Club | 7 pm | 🎟️ $25

Dweezil Zappa @ State Theatre | 8 pm | 🎟️ $40

A Drag Queen Christmas @ Merrill Auditorium | 8 pm | 🎟️ $33

Annual Celtic Fair @ Maine Irish Heritage Center | 9 am | Free

The Orrs with Ezra Cohen and the Big City Band + State Birds @ Oxbow Blending & Bottling | 7:30 pm | 🎟️ $15

Breakin' Strings @ One Longfellow Square | 8 pm | 🎟️ $30

PMA Films: Steel Magnolias (1989) @ Portland Museum of Art | 3 pm | 🎟️ $10

Bold Magazine Shop Wine Pop-Up @ Maine & Loire | 3 pm | Free

Goose @ Cross Insurance Arena | 7 pm | 🎟️ $5

The War And Treaty @ State Theatre | 8 pm | 🎟️ $30

Bert Kreischer @ Merrill Auditorium | 7 pm | 🎟️ $39.75

The Maker's Market @ Thompson's Point | 10 am

Bait & Switch: From Hollywood to Haulin' Traps with Anna Conathan (Encore) @ SPACE | 2 pm | 🎟️ $20

Schooner Fare @ Meetinghouse Arts, Freeport | 2 pm | 🎟️ $55

Surprise Chef @ Oxbow Blending & Bottling | 7 pm | 🎟️ $25

Until next week,
— Jake Newman