Armenian Picnic banner

Our gardens will be spilling into the pathways and we’ll be getting ready to pull the onions and garlic because it will be time to marinate the shish kebab! Cooking and sharing food is a way to sharpen our senses, to connect us with the land and the bounty it produces. When you think about it, cooking and baking celebrate the magic of fire and water…touchstones in our lives.

We're making plans to bring together musicians, dancers, cooks and special makers for a day that we're fondly calling "Mid-Coast Maine meets the Middle East".  Everyone is welcome and the festivities will start and 11:00 and finish by 4:00 in time to catch the sunset over the Bay.  Stay tuned for more details and the opportunity to purchase meals in advance (last year we were sold out very quickly).

Carolyn Rapkievian dressed in red leading Armenian Folk Dancing

Online ticket sales will be available June 15th

Sign up below for our newsletter and we'll give you plenty of notice...last year dinners sold out quickly.

Options will include pre-purchased Shish Kebab dinners or on-site treats like freshly baked lamejuhn (Armenian Pizzas), Middle Eastern Desserts and more.

Armenian Girl holding up her flag

Featuring the Maine Kef Ensemble, Kotwica and Folk Dance Lessons by Carolyn Rapkevian

Maine Kef Ensemble

Kef Ensemble

Maine Kef Ensemble plays folk music from the Armenian, Anatolian, Greek and Arabic traditions. Led by a student of the late Udi Alan Shavarsh Bardezbanian, oud player, Eric LaPerna, the group also features clarinetist, Steve Gruverman, guitarist, Jeremey Zela, upright bass player, Duane Edwards, and Dorothy Barker on the darbouka. “

In case you were wondering...Kef means "party or fun" music

Kotwica

 

Kotwica (Koht-veets-ah) meaning "anchor", a cultural symbol of freedom, plays folk music from the Baltic to the Black Sea.
Directed by David Rapkievian of Bar Harbor, it features musicians on fiddle, button accordion, balalaika, guitar, and string bass.

Group portrait of Kotwica

Vocalists providing beautiful harmonies in the group are led by Anne Tatgenhorst. The group's repertoire includes songs and dance music from Poland, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Macedonia, and beyond.

Carolyn Okoomian Rapkievian, Dance Leader

Picture of Carolyn Okoomian Rapkievian, Dance Leader Carolyn Okoomian Rapkievian has been researching, teaching, and performing dance in a professional capacity for more than 40 years. Her experience and training have included classical and character ballet, social ballroom dance, international folkdances, specializing in Armenian dance.  Carolyn grew up dancing at Armenian family and social events. She studied Armenian dance with the Antranig Armenian Dance Ensemble’s artistic director Gagik Karapetian who also directed the Armenian State Dance Ensemble of Yerevan, Armenia.  Most recently she is coordinating a team of Armenian dance experts to record and archive traditional Armenian dances from Historic Armenia with the Houshamanyan project https://www.houshamadyan.org/themes/dance.html

Banner of photos from our past picnics