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For the sixth year, the Plymouth Public Library Foundation will hold a juried Arts and Crafts Festival on the grounds of the library at 132 South St., from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 9, and Sunday, Aug. 10. More than 70 artists and crafters from the region will show and sell their creations, and the family-friendly festival will feature food trucks, a Lego competition, and music.
“The purpose is to fundraise for the library foundation, which funds all the cultural and education programs that the library presents,” said festival Chair Bill Petrillo, adding, “It’s a great way to pull the community together in a nice family event.” The festival will go on, rain or shine.
Petrillo said the event grows bigger every year. In 2024, more than 5,000 people came. For the first time, this year’s festival will provide 20 free booths for student artists from grades 5 to 12. These will be “scholarships” for the students, giving them the experience of showing and selling their artwork.
The creators participating in the festival “run the gamut,” Petrillo said. They include painters, sculptors, ceramicists, fiber artists, and photographers. And, as added motivation, the event coincides with the Massachusetts sales tax holiday weekend.
For children, there will be face painting, rock painting, hair braiding, and a giant chess set, among other activities. The Lego competition will feature original creations that artists make out of the blocks, and the public can vote for their favorite. There will also be plein air artists at work.
Petrillo said the event has many sponsors, but noted that its biggest supporters are Town of Plymouth Promotions and the Mass Cultural Council.
Get a taste of what vendors will be selling, find more information on the festival, and make a plan for parking (a shuttle will loop through various parking lots taking people to and from the library) by checking out the event website.
Monday, Aug. 4
“Sorry, Baby,” an independent dark “dramedy” directed by Eva Victor – who also stars along with Naomi Ackie and Lucas Hedges – will screen at Plimoth Cinema at Plimoth Patuxet Museums, 137 Warren Ave. New England college instructor Agnes (Victor) seems to be stuck due to a traumatic experience, while her friends move on with their lives. The film will screen at least through Thursday, Aug. 7. “Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight” continues screening through Thursday, Aug. 7, and takes place during the Bush War in the former Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), following eight-year-old Bobo (Lexi Venter) as she tries to make sense of her life. Film times are 4:30 and 7 p.m. Tickets are $12.50, $11 with a club card, $10 for seniors or members, and $8.50 for seniors with a club card.
Tuesday, Aug. 5
The latest installment in the Summer of Music Series at Plimoth Patuxet Museums, 137 Warren Ave., takes place from 5 to 7 p.m., with the GroovaLottos performing. The band cites a range of influences, including blues, Native American music, jazz, and soul. They combine to make up its “thump & soul” sound. Enjoy the music in a beautiful setting. Bring your chairs or blankets, pack a picnic, play lawn games, or purchase pizza and beverages from Plentiful Café. Tickets are $5 for non-members, and available at the door. Members and children age 5 and under are free.
The Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra will hold an open house for prospective ushers for the 2025-2026 season, from 2 to 4 p.m. on the third floor of 116 Court St. Find out more about ushering and sign up for specific concerts based on your availability. All concerts will be held at Memorial Hall or Plymouth South High School Performing Arts Center. You can fill out an application and make your selections here.
Monica Rizzio will perform in a Spire Lobby Series concert at 7:30 p.m., with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. Rizzio’s songs show the influences of her Texas roots and her Cape Cod home, and she spent a decade in the trio Tripping Lily before going solo. She recorded her latest album, “Sunshine Is Free” in Nashville, collaborating with guest musicians. Her songs reveal how she “appreciates the little things in life.” Tickets are $17, and you can get them here.
Wednesday, Aug. 6
Families with children ages 6 to 11 are welcome to join other swashbucklers for a fun, interactive program with Luca Rebussini, the “R.I. Pirate Guy,” from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in the Fehlow Meeting Room at the Plymouth Public Library, 132 South St. Rebussini will share pirate knowledge, lore, and activities with the participants. Registration is required and you can do so here.
Because pirates aren’t just for kids, adults are invited to a presentation by Luca Rebussini, the “R.I. Pirate Guy,” from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Fehlow Meeting Room at the Plymouth Public Library, 132 South St. Rebussini will explain the history of the pirates and pirate hunters of New England during the Golden Age of Piracy. Topics will include why people became pirates, how the pirate ships were run, weapons and tactics used, the politics of pirates, the government, as well as how piracy ended. Registration is required and you can do that here.
The Project Arts free summer concert series continues at Pilgrim Memorial State Park on the waterfront, featuring Uncle John’s Banjo, a Grateful Dead tribute band, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. What a long, strange….you know the rest.
Thursday, Aug. 7
“Lunch & Learn” at Plimoth Patuxet Museums, 137 Warren Ave., will feature a talk from noon to 1 p.m.by Reagan Smith on “The Forgotten Age of War and Empire: Contextualizing the 1600s.” The talk is free to the public, available either in-person or virtually, and is supported by the Plymouth Local Cultural Council. Smith is a public history intern in the 2025 Summer Internship Program. Register for the talk here.
All ages are welcome to come hear songs and stories at the Plymouth Farmers Market Storytime, from 4:30 to 5 p.m., at G Pub, 101 Carver Road.
Join a book talk with author Annie Hartnett at Book Love, 7 Village Green South, in the Pinehills, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Hartnett will be talking about her recent novel, “The Road to Tender Hearts.” She also wrote the novels “Rabbit Cake” and “Unlikely Animals.” The cost is $6.76, and you can register here.
Friday, Aug. 8
“My Mother’s Wedding” will screen at Plimoth Cinema at Plimouth Patuxet Museums, 137 Warren Ave., at least through Thursday, Aug. 14. Directed by Kristen Scott Thomas, who also stars along with Scarlett Johansson, Sienna Miller, Emily Beecham, and Freida Pinto, the film focuses on three sisters who attend their twice-widowed mother’s third wedding. The movie explores themes of family relationships, drama, grief, and moving forward with the help of unexpected guests. Film times are 4:30 and 7 p.m. Tickets are $12.50, $11 with a club card, $10 for seniors or members, and $8.50 for seniors with a club card.
Pilgrim Progress, a reenactment of the Pilgrims’ Sabbath procession to worship begins at 6 p.m. at the Mayflower Society House, 4 Winslow St., as costumed participants representing survivors of the winter of 1621 gather to the beat of a drum, proceed down North Street, along the waterfront, and then to Burial Hill for a brief service. The march then proceeds back down the hill, ending at the Mayflower Society House. The procession takes place every Friday evening in August at 6 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 9
The Plymouth Public Library Foundation will hold a juried Arts and Crafts Festival on the grounds of the Plymouth Public Library, 132 South St., from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 9, and Sunday, Aug. 10. See the lead item in this column for more information.
The Mayflower Beer Garden takes place at the Village Green in the Pinehills from 2 to 8 p.m., with craft beer and other beverages from the Mayflower Brewery, food from the Mea Thai Cuisine food truck. There’s also music by Jordan Hill from 3 to 6 p.m., and lots of family-friendly fun. Dogs are also welcome, if they’re well-behaved and on a leash attached to a well-behaved human.
Roomful of Blues – the venerable local blues band that has been around for decades – will perform at the Spire at 8 p.m., with doors opening at 7 p.m. Although the members of the group have changed over the years, the band still carries on its reputation of being “one of the tightest, most joyful blues ensembles in the world.” The eight-piece band consists of guitarist Chris Vachon, singer DD Bastos, bassist John Turner, trumpeter Chris Pratt, drummer Mike Coffey, keyboardist Jeff Ceasrine, baritone and tenor saxophonist Craig Thomas, and tenor and alto saxophonist Rich Lataille. Tickets are $39.10 and $43, and you can buy them here.
Sunday, Aug. 10
As part of the Spire’s Sunday Serenades series, Charlie Halloran’s Tropicales will perform at the Spire at 3 p.m., with doors opening at 2 p.m. The show will offer a taste of the 1950’s with their Caribbean hotel party vibes, as the Tropicales play music from Trinidad, Venezuela, Martinique, and Guadeloupe, as well as some New Orleans jams. Tickets are $26.50 and $29, and you can get them here.
Tuesday, Aug. 12
Continuing its Historic Clothing Parlor Talks, the Plymouth Antiquarian Society will hold a talk titled “Military Uniforms Across Time,” from 2 to 3 p.m. at Hedge House, 126 Water St. The talk will include examples of military uniforms from the early 19th century to more modern times, exploring how changes in warfare and culture influenced soldiers’ attire. The cost is $10, or $5 for members. You can get tickets here, or pay by check – payable to Plymouth Antiquarian Society (or PAS) – mailed to the Plymouth Antiquarian Society, P.O. Box 3773, Plymouth, MA, 02361. Members who order tickets online should contact info@plymouthantiquarian.org to get their member discount code.
Teens and tweens ages 12 and older can register for a Tie Dye event from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Plymouth Public Library, 132 South St., in the Dr. Shiff Garden. The attendees must bring their own clothing item to be tie dyed. Otherwise, all the supplies will be provided. (Clothes should be 100 percent cotton for best results.) If it rains, this event will be rescheduled. You can register here.
Jackie Millar and Lori Walsh, from Thyme for Wellness, will discuss how creating herbal blends with medicinal and culinary herbs can benefit your health, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Fehlow Meeting Room at the Plymouth Public Library, 132 South St. Attendees will explore the community garden to touch, taste, and smell the herbs growing there. There will be a demonstration on how to create herbal teas and make a solar tea. Registration is required, and you can do so here.
Wednesday, Aug. 13
The Project Arts free summer concert series continues at Pilgrim Memorial State Park on the waterfront, featuring local bands 3rd Left and the Fey Band, playing rock and classic rock, from 6:30 to 9 p.m.
The “World Famous Glenn Miller Orchestra” will perform its greatest hits at the Spire at 7 p.m., with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. today and Aug 14. Songs will include “In the Mood,” “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” “American Patrol,” “A String of Pearls,” “Little Brown Jug,” “Pennsylvania 6-5000,” Tuxedo Junction,” and the band’s theme song, “Moonlight Serenade.” The 15-member orchestra, its lead singers, and a vocal group will perform those big band classics like it was 80 years ago. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $62.50 and $69 and you can buy them here.
Thursday, Aug. 14
The “World Famous Glenn Miller Orchestra” will perform again at the Spire at 7 p.m., with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. Tickets for this performance are available here.
Join fellow (adult) readers at the Manomet Vintage Reads Book Group at the Plymouth Public Library’s Manomet Branch, 12 Strand Ave., from 7 to 8 p.m. The book that will be discussed is “The House on Mango Street,” by Sandra Cisneros. Copies of the book are available at the Manomet branch a month in advance.
Friday, Aug. 15
Pilgrim Progress reenactors will continue their weekly August Pilgrims’ Sabbath procession, starting at 6 p.m. at the Mayflower Society House, 4 Winslow St., proceeding to the top of Burial Hill for a brief service, and then back to the Mayflower Society House.
Sunday, Aug. 17
Troy Ramey will perform at the Spire at 8 p.m., with doors opening at 7:30 p.m. Ramey is a folk/Americana/heartland country artist, who performs with his band in an intimate, storytelling-style show. Promoters advise that this show may sell out quickly. For questions about tickets, attendees should contact info@troyramey.com. Tickets cost $50 and are available here.