Brick Store Museum

Create Your Own Sketchbooks: A 4-Week Bookbinding Course
2025-05-07 12:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | Brick Store Museum, 117 Main Street, Kennebunk, ME, 04043, United States
Unlock your creativity and master the art of bookbinding in this hands-on, 4-week workshop. Whether you’re an artist looking for a custom sketchbook or simply passionate about craft, this class will teach you two timeless binding techniques that allow your creations to lie flat for easy sketching and journaling.
What You’ll Learn:

Japanese Stab Binding: Discover the elegance of this traditional technique, perfect for creating durable, open-flat sketchbooks.
Secret Belgian Binding: Learn this intriguing binding method, offering both beauty and functionality while allowing your book to open completely flat.

Through each session, you’ll dive into the process of making your own hardcover sketchbook using quality materials. You’ll explore various binding tools, the use of thread, paper, and cover materials, all while honing your skills in precise and intricate bookbinding techniques.
$130 for 4 weeks/$110 for members (Members will receive a refund)
Instructor: Gayle Fitzpatrick

May Early Release Art Class
2025-05-07 13:00 - 15:00
Join us at the Brick Store Museum for a fun-filled art class designed for students in 1st through 5th grade! On Wednesday, May 7 from 1:00 – 3:00 PM, kids will explore the colorful world of Gelli printing and create unique paper crafts to take home. All materials are provided.
Instructor: Sarah Soleau

Historic District Walking Tour
2025-05-10 12:00 - 13:30, 2025-05-15 10:30 - 12:00, 2025-05-22 10:30 - 12:00, 2025-05-24 12:00 - 13:30, 2025-05-29 10:30 - 12:00, 2025-05-31 12:00 - 13:30, 2025-06-05 10:30 - 12:00, 2025-06-07 12:00 - 13:30 and 4 more dates
Explore the history of the elaborate and historic homes that line Kennebunk’s Summer Street neighborhood in Downtown Kennebunk. Led by Museum tour guide. $10 per person/$5 for members.

Imagine That! Three Centuries of Kennebunk Commerce Tour
2025-05-13 10:30 - 12:00, 2025-05-20 10:30 - 12:00, 2025-05-27 10:30 - 12:00, 2025-06-03 10:30 - 12:00, 2025-06-10 10:30 - 12:00, 2025-06-17 10:30 - 12:00, 2025-06-24 10:30 - 12:00
This walking tour explores Main Street and its commercial history over three hundred years. Stretches from the Museum down to the Mousam River Bridge. (about a half mile, 60 minutes, led by trained tour guide). $10.00 per person/$5 for members. Reserve in advance by calling 985-4802 or visit www.brickstoremuseum.org.

Needle Punching Workshop: Stitch the Original Maine Flag
2025-05-13 17:30 - 19:30
Join us for a hands-on Needle Punching Workshop where you’ll create a textured fiber art piece inspired by Maine’s original 1901 state flag—featuring the iconic pine tree and North Star. This beginner-friendly class will guide you through the basics of needle punching, from threading your punch needle to crafting beautiful loops and textures.
🧵 No experience necessary—just bring your creativity!
Instructor: Lisanne Miller

Side by Each | Concerts in West K with Mousam River Music
2025-05-18 15:00 - 17:00
The Museum’s Concert Partner Mousam River Music Presents:
Two of Maine’s musical power couples – Don & Cindy Roy and Erica Brown & Matt Shipman – join forces in Side by Each. The roots run deep in this dynamic and exciting quartet! Don and Cindy’s music (fiddle, piano, and step-dancing) goes back to their respective families who hailed from Quebec and the Canadian Maritimes. In 2018, they were awarded a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts as leading exponents of Franco-American traditional music in Maine.
Erica Brown began studying fiddle with Don when she was eight years old. She has developed into a virtuosic fiddler and singer whose music fits right in with Don & Cindy as if they had never stopped playing together. In addition to her mastery of Franco-American music she and husband Matt Shipman (guitar and bouzouki) also pursue a career in Bluegrass and Country music. They lead the five piece group, Erica Brown and the Bluegrass Connection; the trio, Darlin’ Corey; and the country swing band, Haggard & Cashed.
Superb fiddling from Don and Erica! Rock-solid, tasteful accompaniment from Cindy and Matt! Cindy’s lively step-dancing and podorythmie! Great vocals! It all adds up to an exciting afternoon of music and fun! Don’t miss it!
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Tickets: $25 per person
Pre-purchase is now closed – please purchase tickets at the door!
Questions or want to reserve cash seats? Email: paul.wells@mousamrivermusic.net

Macrame Market Bag Workshop
2025-05-22 17:00 - 19:00
Learn the art of macrame and create your own stylish, eco-friendly market bag! In this hands-on workshop, you’ll practice simple knotting techniques to craft a sturdy, reusable bag perfect for shopping or everyday use. Add a personal touch by decorating the handles with colorful embroidery threads, making your creation truly one of a kind. Whether you’re new to macrame or looking for a fun, creative project, this class is perfect for all skill levels. Come knot, create, and take home a bag that’s both practical and uniquely yours!
Instructor: Sarah Soleau

Oral History Training Workshop
2025-05-31 09:30 - 12:30
This workshop is designed to introduce potential oral history practitioners to the fundamentals of conducting a life-course oral history. Participants will learn how to identify interviewees, conduct pre-interview research, and prepare for meaningful and professional oral histories. The session will cover best practices for conducting oral history interviews and ensuring the ethical and responsible documentation of personal narratives.
Throughout the workshop, participants will explore key interviewing techniques, including how to create a comfortable environment, ask open-ended questions, and engage narrators in sharing rich and detailed accounts of their experiences. Practical aspects of recording best practices will also be addressed, with guidance on selecting equipment, recording remotely or in person, and organizing recorded materials for preservation and access.
Legal and ethical considerations will be discussed in depth, including issues of privacy, copyright, and the responsibilities of oral historians in handling sensitive content. Participants will receive samples of necessary forms and documents to facilitate their own oral history projects. By the end of the session, attendees will have the foundational knowledge and confidence to conduct oral history interviews within their local communities independently.
Complimentary snacks and beverages provided.
The Brick Store Museum’s Oral History Program is looking for volunteer interviewers! If you would like to join the team, please consider taking this course. If you are a current Museum Volunteer, please register via the STUDENT rate for a complimentary registration.
The Workshop will be taught by Molly Graham, a professional oral historian and radio documentarian. She trained at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in Portland, Maine. She has her master’s degree in Library Science and Archives Management from Simmons College in Boston. Molly is the former director of the oral history program at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum and Assistant Director of the Rutgers Oral History Archives. In 2013, she co-founded Oral History & Folklife Research, Inc., with the mission of preserving the stories, voices, and cultural traditions of Maine and beyond. Currently, she is the oral historian for NOAA’s Voices Oral History Archives, where she collects, preserves and curates oral histories documenting historical environmental change and its impacts on fisheries, oceans and coasts.

Liz & Dan Faiella | Concerts in West K with Mousam River Music
2025-06-08 15:00 - 17:00
The Museum’s Concert Partner Mousam River Music Presents:
Liz and Dan Faiella bring to life the traditional music of their roots, with crisp vocals, mesmerizing fingerstyle guitar, lyrical fiddling, and exhilarating rhythmic drive. Their music calls to mind the convivial grange hall contradances of their youth in New Hampshire, while conveying a wistfulness for their ancestral Ireland.
Liz and Dan have taken the stage at premier folk venues throughout New England, including Club Passim, the Acadia Trad Festival, Maine Celtic Celebration, Little Sea Folk Festival, and the Boston Celtic Music Festival. They are sought-after teachers, and have shared their craft with students at camps, festivals, and community music schools.
Their album, At Long Last (2018), explores heartache, wonder, and joy, expressed through the traditional music they love.
Liz Faiella’s study of Irish fiddling, training in classical violin, and love of social dancing have shaped her musical approach. Liz is chair of the Folk Department at the Concord Community Music School in Concord, NH, where she teaches fiddle students and organizes the Music School’s Fall Fiddle Festival. She also is active as a YouTube creator, sharing fiddle tunes, tutorials, and techniques far and wide.
Dan Faiella is a guitarist specializing in traditional Celtic music. Trained as an accompanist through years of playing for New England contradances and for Irish fiddlers, he has performed at venues and festivals around the country with numerous traditional music groups. In his solo playing, Dan’s fingerstyle arrangements of traditional songs and tunes draw extensively on techniques and ornamentation from traditional idioms beyond those directly related to the guitar, such as Celtic harp-playing, sean-nós singing, and uilleann piping. Over many years of playing solo and collaboratively, he has developed an ability to adapt and synthesize these sounds into the context of the unique arrangement capabilities of the guitar.
Join Liz and Dan in the museum’s Dane Street Program Center for a great afternoon of traditional Irish music!
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Tickets: $20 per person
Purchase online prior to 2:00pm on Saturday, June 7; after that time, please purchase at the door. Questions or want to reserve cash seats? Email: paul.wells@mousamrivermusic.net

June Art Walk - Open Late!
2025-06-13 17:00 - 19:00
Join us at the Museum to kick start your Downtown ArtWalk! On the second Friday of each month, come to Downtown Kennebunk for a night of live music, local artists, food trucks and specials. Let’s celebrate Downtown! The Museum will be open for FREE ADMISSION from 5pm – 7pm.
In addition to showcasing our current exhibitions, we will be featuring four incredibly talented local artists for the June Walk:
John Kessler of Salt + Sand Gallery
Elizabeth Murphy
Andrea Roth Kimmich
Kathy Polletto – Kennebunk Basketry
Downtown Artwalks occur every month from June through August (on the second Friday of each month). Hosted by the Kennebunk-Kennebunkport-Arundel Chamber of Commerce and the Town of Kennebunk.
Learn more about the full event on the Chambers’ website!

Block Printing Workshop
2025-06-18 11:00 - 13:00
Discover the art of block printing and create your own hand-stamped designs on fabric! In this fun and creative workshop, you’ll learn how to carve a simple design into a printing block and transfer it onto a tea towel. We’ll provide all materials for the project, including tea towels and fabric-safe ink.
Want to personalize even more? You’re welcome to bring your own clothing items—like t-shirts, tote bags, or fabric scraps—to print on during class.
No experience necessary! This class is perfect for beginners and anyone interested in textile design, printmaking, or DIY crafts. You’ll leave with a custom piece and the skills to keep printing at home.
Instructor: Sarah Soleau

LEGO Build Workshop
2025-06-21 12:00 - 13:30
Build, explore and get creative with Maine LEGO artist Colby Adolphsen! Colby’s newest creation: a LEGO model of the Museum itself will be revealed later this summer!
This free event invites visitors of all ages to enjoy the art of building. Stations will be set up for participants to join in building structures and environments.
Colby’s LEGO artistry will be on display later this summer with the “Brick by Brick: The Art of LEGO” exhibition of three-dimensional LEGO models, opening August 2, 2025.

Admission to the LEGO Build is FREE. Please RSVP below for planning purposes.

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Seeking donations of Legos!
Do you have unused LEGOs? Consider donating them to the Museum! Donations of new or gently-used LEGOs can be dropped off at the Museum’s Welcome Desk anytime the Museum is open in return for a donation letter that can be claimed as a tax deduction. Email Joyce Schnaars, Museum Educator, at jschnaars@brickstoremuseum.org with questions or donations.

Lafayette's Visit to Kennebunk: Bicentennial Event
2025-06-24 15:00 - 17:00
What it is:
The American Friends of Lafayette present an elaborate national tour commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Farewell Tour of the Marquis de Lafayette, one of the last surviving generals of the American Revolution. In response to France’s alliance with the American colonies to fight the British, Lafayette arrived in America in 1777 to serve alongside the colonists. In 1824, President James Monroe invited Lafayette to return to the United States as the nation’s guest, where he visited all 24 states in the union. He is sometimes known as “The Hero of the Two Worlds” for his accomplishments in the service of both France and the United States.

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Beginning in August 2024, a thirteen-month bicentennial celebration of Lafayette’s triumphant return tour of the United States kicked off in New York City. During the next thirteen months, the tour will follow Lafayette’s footsteps through the then-existing 24 states in the exact order he traveled in 1824 and 1825. To learn more about the entire route, visit the American Friends of Lafayette.

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Following the schedule of June 24, 1825, The Marquis de Lafayette (living history actor) will be visiting Kennebunk at 3:00pm on June 24, 2025!

The schedule is below:

Tuesday, June 24, 2025:

THIS EVENT WILL TAKE PLACE INDOORS due to the excessive heat.

3:00pm: Join the Brick Store Museum at 117 Main Street to enjoy lemonade and cookies, and a pop-up exhibit as we await Lafayette’s arrival

3:30pm: The Marquis de Lafayette will make an historic speech to the crowd and meet & greet visitors.

4:30pm: Assemble in the second story windows of the Brick Store Museum for a photo with Lafayette! In 1825, workers constructing the Brick Store waived out these same windows as Lafayette rode past on his way to Biddeford.

This is a free event open to the entire community. Come welcome Lafayette with us!
