Unveiling the Invisible Universe
2026-06-11 13:00 - 14:00, 2026-06-12 13:00 - 14:00, 2026-06-12 19:00 - 20:00, 2026-06-13 13:00 - 14:00, 2026-06-17 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | Southworth Planetarium — Science Building, 70 Falmouth St, Portland, ME, 04103, United States
For thousands of years the humans observed the light coming from the night sky with their eyes. In the beginning of the 17th century, the invention of the telescope by Galileo revolutionized our knowledge of the Universe.

Dinosaurs at Dusk
2026-06-12 15:30 - 16:30 | Southworth Planetarium — Science Building, 70 Falmouth St, Portland, ME, 04103, United States
Dinosaurs at Dusk: A whirlwind time travel adventure back to the epoch of the dinosaurs! A larger than life extravaganza rife with roaring monsters from the ancient age.

Rusty Rocket's Last Blast!
2026-06-15 13:00 - 14:00, 2026-06-16 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-06-17 13:00 - 14:00 | Southworth Planetarium — Science Building, 70 Falmouth St, Portland, ME, 04103, United States
Join Rusty Rocket and his band of rocket rookies as they explore the solar system. Fly across Saturn’s rings, soar along a Martian canyon; delve deep into the solar interior!

Natural Selection
2026-06-15 14:00 - 15:00, 2026-06-16 13:00 - 14:00, 2026-06-19 15:30 - 16:30 | Southworth Planetarium — Science Building, 70 Falmouth St, Portland, ME, 04103, United States
Natural Selection: Join Charles Darwin on a voyage of exploration circumnavigating the World with the HMS Beagle, to the Galapagos islands. Witness the thrill of scientific discovery by seeing the world through Darwin’s eyes, make observations of the most beautiful natural scenery and let the pieces of the scientific puzzle slowly but surely fall into place.

(Cancelled) Distant Worlds, Alien Life.
2026-06-18 13:00 - 14:00 | Southworth Planetarium — Science Building, 70 Falmouth St, Portland, ME, 04103, United States
Distant Worlds, Alien Life: Explore one of the most enduring questions of humankind – are we alone? For millennia our ancestors watched the stars, questioning the origin and nature of what they saw. Still today we ask these questions, knowing that the Universe is a vast place filled with billions and billions of stars and planets — but yet, Earth is the only planet we know for sure to be inhabited

Distant Worlds, Alien Life.
2026-06-19 13:00 - 14:00, 2026-06-19 19:00 - 20:00, 2026-06-20 13:00 - 14:00 | Southworth Planetarium — Science Building, 70 Falmouth St, Portland, ME, 04103, United States

Solstice at Stonehenge
2026-06-20 19:00 - 20:00 | Southworth Planetarium — Science Building, 70 Falmouth St, Portland, ME, 04103, United States
Embark on a virtual tour of Stonehenge at the Southworth Planetarium. Just before each solstice, we conduct our popular “Stonehenge” lecture. Who built Stonehenge? What was its purpose? How much can we know about it?
Join Stonehenge scholar Lawrence Price as he guides you through the world’s most famous megalithic structure.
Experience summer’s arrival with “Midsummer at Stonehenge”!

The Little Star That Could
2026-06-22 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-06-23 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-06-24 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-06-25 10:00 - 11:00 | Southworth Planetarium — Science Building, 70 Falmouth St, Portland, ME, 04103, United States
A story about Little Star, an average yellow star in search of planets of his own to protect and warm. Along the way, he meets other stars, learns what makes each star special, and discovers that stars combine to form star clusters and galaxies.

Destination Solar System
2026-06-22 13:00 - 14:00, 2026-06-23 13:00 - 14:00, 2026-06-24 13:00 - 14:00 | Southworth Planetarium — Science Building, 70 Falmouth St, Portland, ME, 04103, United States
The year is 2096. Space tourism is thriving and “Space Express Tours” is the world’s leading company in space. You’ve signed up for a quick trip around the Solar System.

The Sun Our Living Star
2026-06-22 14:00 - 15:00 | Southworth Planetarium — Science Building, 70 Falmouth St, Portland, ME, 04103, United States
The Sun has shone on our world for four and a half billion years. The light that warms our skin today has been felt by every person who has ever lived.
It is our nearest star and our planet’s powerhouse, the source of the energy that drives our winds, our weather and all life.

Fragile Planet
2026-06-24 14:00 - 15:00 | Southworth Planetarium — Science Building, 70 Falmouth St, Portland, ME, 04103, United States
Fly out to the farthest reaches of the universe and up through Earth’s atmosphere to gain an astronaut’s view of your home—the only planet currently known to support life.

A St. Jean-Baptiste Day Celebration/La Rencontre
2026-06-24 17:00 - 22:00 | Lewiston, ME, Lewiston, Maine, 04240, United States
The Franco-American Collection at the University of Southern Maine and the Franco Center invite you to a celebration of St. Jean-Baptiste Day! Join us at 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 24, 2026, at the Franco Center, 46 Cedar St., Lewiston. Ticket prices include dinner and are $22/adults; $18/seniors; and $12/children under 12. Ticket sales end June 17, which is one week before the event, so get your tickets now! This program is made possible by the generous sponsorship of the Québec Delegation in Boston, TV5MONDE and Schooner Estates.
This collaboration between the USM Franco-American Collection and Franco Center promises to be an exciting tribute to St. Jean-Baptiste celebrations of days gone by. St. Jean-Baptiste, the patron saint of Québec, inspired large-scale parades, parties, and special religious masses in Lewiston between the late-19th century and the mid-20th century. According to the Sun Journal in 1940, the St. Jean-Baptiste celebration was so large, they needed two separate parades to include all the floats and participants. Traditionally, a local boy with curly, blond hair would be selected to portray St. Jean-Baptiste in the parade–and don’t worry, we’ll have pictures to prove it! If you are one of these St. Jean-Baptistes, we hope you are able to join us this June 24th to be recognized at the event.
The doors will open at 5 p.m., along with the cash bar and conversation in French and English. At 6 p.m., dinner will begin. Music, featuring Robert Sylvain and Steve Muise, will begin at 6:30 p.m.; and Greg Boardman and his son Aidan Boardman will take the stage at 8 p.m. The dinner menu will include Franco-American foods, featuring Pâté chinois! There will also be a vegetarian version of Pâté chinois, and a green salad and rolls. Water, lemonade and coffee drinks are free with your ticket, and sodas and bar drinks available for purchase. Ticket prices are as follows:
Adults: $22
Seniors: $18
Children 12 and under: $12
About the musicians:
Two friends, fiddler Steve Muise and singer Robert Sylvain play music rooted in the traditions of their shared Acadian heritage. Both from musical families, they inherited a treasure trove of catchy maritime fiddle tunes and old French-language folk songs which they bring together with modern sensibilities and original material that speaks to the continuing influence of Franco-American culture in New England. The result is a rhythmically unstoppable, lyrically fantastic blend of musical history and innovation that invites audiences from all backgrounds to revel in authentic Acadian joie de vivre.
Deux amis, le violoneur Steve Muise et le chanteur Robert Sylvain, continuent la musique de leurs ancêtres. Ils représentent une génération d’Acadiens du Maine qui veut honorer nos traditions, le même espoir trouver l’esprit nouveau d’Acadie aux Nouvelle Angleterre. Ils jouent les airs tordus, les complaintes anciennes, et les chansons folklorique et originelles, en Français, Anglais et Franglais. Ils ont joué sur la scène principale du CMA 2014 à Madawaska avec la groupe Boréal Tordu, qui a représenté les Franco-Américains dans le compilation “Des voix s’élèvants” organisé par Zachary Richard pour Le Centre de la francophonie des Amériques.
Greg Boardman performs in the tradition of the downeast fiddler, drawing from a Scotch, Irish and French repertoire. Greg has fiddled for concerts and dances, collected and recorded Maine Indigenous music, and taught for many years. He currently plays as a soloist and with his quartet, Boardman and Sons, and is active as a leader of fiddle workshops involving musicians of all ages, abilities, disciplines and instruments. His workshops involve diverse aspects of local culture and history and are designed to enhance existing programs and inspire new ones.
Aidan Boardman is a life-long musician from Lewiston/Auburn, ME. Before, during, and after earning a Bachelor’s in Music Education at Ithaca College, he has been writing, performing and teaching music (voice, guitar, ukulele, piano) for folks of all ages. Aidan currently resides in Portland, where he teaches general elementary music in the Portland Public Schools. Recordings produced by Aidan can primarily be found under the pseudonyms Anguid, and Dreamt.

For more information or to reserve your seat, contact the Franco Center at 207-689-2000 or www.francocenter.org/shows. If you have questions about disability access or need to request disability accommodations, please contact the Franco Center. Requests should be made as soon as possible to allow sufficient time for the accommodation process.

Molecularium
2026-06-25 13:00 - 14:00 | Southworth Planetarium — Science Building, 70 Falmouth St, Portland, ME, 04103, United States
A science lesson, a thrill-ride, and a magical musical adventure in a world of atoms and molecules. Aboard the Molecularium, audiences join a cast of atomic characters on an unforgettable adventure into the nanoscale universe.

Everything Old is New Again, The Return of Maine’s First Queer Publication: A Panel Discussion by Those Who Launched It
2026-06-25 17:30 - 19:00 | McGoldrick Center, 35 Bedford Street, Portland, United States
A panel discussion about the first gay newsletter in Maine. Panelists: Steven Bull, Peter Prizer, and Vachon.
Free and open to the public. Refreshments.

Parking information: USM Garage attached to Abromson Center, 88 Bedford Ave., $4.15/hour

Even As We Grieve Community Event
2026-06-25 17:30 - 19:30 | Arts Lab — Crewe Center for the Arts, 111 Bedford St, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
Join us for Even As We Grieve: Harm Reduction & Recovery Community Event on Thursday, June 25 from 5:30–7:30 PM at the Crewe Center for the Arts, University of Southern Maine (111 Bedford St., Portland). This event is part of the 2026 Artist-in-Residence programming at the University of Southern Maine Art Galleries featuring the work of Peter Bruun.
This free public event brings together art, performance, recovery advocacy, and community dialogue through a collaborative partnership between the Portland Recovery Community Center (PRCC), Commonspace, and the University of Southern Maine Art Gallery.
From 5:30–6:30 PM, guests are invited to experience the Even As We Grieve exhibition featuring artwork and audio by PRCC and Commonspace partners, alongside live music, resource tables, and light refreshments.
From 6:30–7:30 PM, PRCC will present an original devised performance exploring lived experiences of recovery, grief, connection, and community care. The evening will conclude with a facilitated community conversation led by Commonspace Certified Intentional Peer Support Specialists Alex Gilley and Brock Couillard.
All are welcome.
This programming is made possible through a generous grant from The Onion Foundation.
Parking is available in our University of Southern Maine Portland Garages 1 and 2, or in Parking Lot P6, at a rate of $4.15 per hour. You may reserve your parking ahead of time via the USM Parking Interface. Additionally, the Portland METRO Husky Bus and the METRO #4 pickup/drop-off about a three-minute walk from the Crewe Center for the Arts. An updated bus schedule can be found on the METRO website and bus fair is $2 each way.
