Winter Weeknight Fun: Open Mics, Karaoke, Art & Trivia Nights

Where to get out of the house and be social in Midcoast Maine

Trivia Night at Rock Harbor Pub & Brewery in Rockland

Whether you're new to the Midcoast and just want to find something social to do during the week nights or you're sick of being cooped up inside all winter, we've got a rundown of the most social happenings every night of the work week. Come with friends or come alone and meet new friends.

 Monday

 FOG Bar & Cafe (Rockland)
 Type: Open Mic Night
 Time: 6:30 to 11:30 p.m.

Vibe: The downtown hot spot just moved their Open Mic to Monday night to make room for more theme nights. Most of the acts are musical at this point, with a nice diversity of styles ranging from comical to serious. They'd like to open it up more to poetry and performance art.

Tuesday

The Drouthy Bear (Camden)
Type: Trivia Night.
Time: 8 p.m.

Vibe: This is a homey Scottish pub with delicious food, fantastic beer, great people, and a wonderful atmosphere for sitting by the fire. Trivia Night offers 60 questions in six different categories that change every week. Teams of four or fewer can play with a suggested donation of $1 per person. All proceeds to charity. Don’t feel like Trivia? They also have lots of board games available at any time.

Wednesday

Badger Cafe & Pub (Union)
Type: Trivia Night
Time: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Vibe: The Badger Cafe & Pub has an open, neighborly feel to the restaurant and tiny bar (with outstanding craft brews). Anyone can drop in and play on trivia teams (up to five people per team) and it costs $2 per person to play. The winnings are split between the first place team and the middle place team. If you show up alone, you can either play as your own team or join up with a team that is short. As one player said, “Swearing is allowed and only sometimes frowned upon.” Call ahead for any questions 207-785-3336.

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Rock Harbor Pub & Brewery (Rockland)
 Type: Open Mic Night
 Time: 8 p.m. to midnight

Vibe: Rock Harbor Pub & Brewery is Rockland’s only microbrewery and it's got a homey, pub feel where the audience can belly up to the bar while the performers do their thing. The crowd is wide-ranging, from late 20s to 60s. They offer a drum set for performers and one of their regulars can always be counted on to bring his stand up cello bass to accompany musicians. The gentleman who runs it can also play almost any instrument to accompany newcomers as well. The Open Mic is mostly musical, but they're open to any form of performance.

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Belfast Breeze Inn (Belfast)
Type: Game Night
Time: 4 to 7 p.m.

Starting on February 1 the inn is offering an adult game night with a different game each week such as Scrabble, Cribbage, Charades and various board games, along with a selection of soup, sandwiches salads, pizza and bar snacks along with beer and wine. Game Night goes until April 26. There’s a $5 minimum per person. Reserve your space by calling 207-505-5231.

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Hatchet Mountain Publick House (Hope)
Type: Cards and Cribbage
Time: 7 p.m.
Vibe: This cozy, rustic pub wants to offer a mid-week reason to get together and this is a great spot for folks who live farther from the coast to gather and play some games. Starting January 11, they’ll start with cards and cribbage and offer something different on Thursday nights.

Thursday

Sea Dog Brewing Company (Camden)
Type: Thirsty Thursday Trivia
Time: 7 p.m.

Vibe: The upstairs of the Sea Dog is turning into a winter haven for locals with their new Thirsty Thursday Trivia Night. Johhny Tofani is the MC and Kristen. Every week it will be a different theme. $5 to play and teams can e any size. A cash prize awarded at the end as well as a “loser’s prize.” Check their Facebook page because once a month they also offer a “Paint Night.”

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Hatchet Mountain Publick House (Hope)
Type: Darts and Dice
Time: 7 p.m.

Vibe: See description in Wednesday’s listing. They’re considering a dart league, Texas hold'm tourney as well as grub and grog specials.

Friday

 Myrtle Street Tavern (Rockland)
 Type: Karaoke
 Time: 9 p.m.

Vibe: This is one of Rockland's longstanding local taverns with a range of participants in their 20s to 40s. Nice, friendly people. The Open Mic sets are mostly musical. There's always a core group of talented people who come in rotating with new people who drop in. The music can range from bluegrass to country to rock and roll.

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Cupcakes and Canvases Paint Party
Type: Group painting
 Time: 6 to 9 p.m.

Vibe: Twice a month, LOUGH loud SMILE big, a cupcakes and custom party supplies store in Rockport hosts a fun evening of eating, drinking and painting!
They provide cake pops, cupcakes and snacks, as well as water and coffee. You are welcome to bring a BYOB, if you'd like. They provide ice, wine glasses and openers.

They also provide paints and materials to create a masterpiece for $30 plus tax. Call to learn which Fridays they are offering this event and reserve your seat. 230-7001.

Saturday

Cuzzy's Restaurant & Pub (Camden)
 Type: Karaoke
 Time: 9 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.

Vibe: Cuzzy's is the only local's tavern left in Camden with the unofficial motto of “The liver is evil and must be punished!” Held upstairs in the bar, their Karaoke Night has a pretty big following with its regulars, who even made their own Facebook page dedicated to it. The vibe is fun and supportive, especially in the case when someone without a whole lot of vocal training gets up to sing. Some pick goofy songs and others really nail it.

Restaurant/Bar Owners: For any additions or corrections, please contact the reporter below.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com