The town of Brunswick will provide an alternative, hands-on experience for Bowdoin students not participating in Common Good Day on Saturday: the Family Arts Festival.
The project, which will take place on the Brunswick Green, is aimed at attracting art aficionados of all ages.
The festival will feature performances and exhibits, though the majority of activities are interactive.
For those who missed out on finger-painting in kindergarten, there will be a tent dedicated to children's art projects.
Similarly, Bowdoin students who find themselves squinting into the autumn sun every time they leave Moulton can attend a hat-making workshop.
Another exciting highlight of the children's tent is the Creative Kings & Queens session in which participants will be encouraged to create their own battle armor (which could come in handy during Phase II).
Those looking for a more grown-up foray into the arts can meander over to the adult tent which offers weaving, knitting, book-making, and painting exhibitions and workshops.
During the activities, a series of live musical acts is also slated to perform. A Beatles cover band, a Dixieland Jazz Combo, a Cuban soul group and many more will perform in the town gazebo.
In between the children and adult tents, the lawn will also host a myriad of performers, including karate, hip-hop dancing and a drumming circle, in which all are encouraged to participate.
"We thought it would be just a wonderful event for the town, and it's free, which is a really important aspect of the event," coordinator Charlotte Agell '81 said of the festival.
"It's about people connecting; it's a community connection event," she added.
Agell, who graduated from Bowdoin with a visual arts degree, brings an innovative philosophy to the hands-on nature of this Saturday's activities.
"Art shouldn't be reserved for just looking at," she said. "Art should be made daily, like bread."
A middle school teacher in Yarmouth and an author and illustrator of children's books, Agell will create "Lightening Portraits" from 12-2 p.m. on the green this Saturday.
The project, sponsored by the Maine Arts Commission and the Five River Arts Alliance, runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
More information and a full schedule of events can be found at www.fiveriversartsalliance.org.