A Fall Weekend on MDI: Runners, Music, Protests and Community. From the MDI Marathon and Kids Fun Run to Music Harbor and No Kings demonstrations, island communities filled a brisk weekend with events as the tourist season wound down.
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A Fall Weekend on MDI: Runners, Music, Protests and Community.

From the MDI Marathon and Kids Fun Run to Music Harbor and No Kings demonstrations, island communities filled a brisk weekend with events as the tourist season wound down.

Carrie Jones

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Four women in matching tank tops with 'Maine Character' printed on them celebrate by raising their arms after finishing a race, while wearing running bibs. They are surrounded by colorful flags and spectators.

The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Witham Family Hotels.

Logo of Witham Family Hotels featuring a stylized 'W' and elegant font on a dark background.

MOUNT DESERT ISLAND—The island was full of activity this weekend as it hosted multiple events toward the end of the season of visiting tourism. Summer water lines are being shut down. Some restaurants have called their last days and served their final meals for the season.

It was a brisk weekend and a fun weekend for many.

“Remind me to make sure we go somewhere warm next time,” one runner said, laughing as she walked down Main Street in Bar Harbor.

“Never,” her companion said, hooking her arm in the other’s, as they trotted down the sidewalk before heading into Table Salt.

Here’s a quick rundown of the weekend’s main events. There are many more photos and videos of these events on our Facebook page.

KIDS FUN RUN

Group of children in turquoise shirts with race numbers gathered at an outdoor event, preparing for a kids run.

Families and friends gathered on Northeast Harbor’s Main Street Saturday morning for the thirteenth edition of the MDI Kids Fun Run sponsored by Bangor Savings Bank.

That sponsorship meant it was free for the kids to run, to get the bib, to get the cool lobster medals that are also given to relay, half, and marathon runners the next day.

Emotions ranged from super excited hopping around the sidewalks, gallivanting across the streets, and some nerves. Parents and caregivers soothed worried children, laughed and held hands with others.

A group of children wearing matching blue shirts runs energetically down a street during a fun run event. Spectators line the sides of the street, and a crossing sign is visible in the background.
Four women smiling and standing behind a table outdoors, with a maritime museum in the background.
A race official with a pink beard and megaphone addresses a group of children wearing blue T-shirts at the start line of a Kids Run event, under a banner that reads 'KIDS RUN MDI' in a small town setting.

There was a lot of cheering that went on and a lot of fun.

That fun and thinking of running as a joyful action rather than a chore is the motivation of MDI Marathon founder and organizer Gary Allen.

“If we teach our kids that running is fun (it is) they will love to run!” Allen said on social media.

MARATHON, HALF MARATHON, RELAY, AND FINISH LINE FESTIVAL

Two female runners participating in a marathon, one in a pink shirt and the other in an orange shirt with a pink vest, celebrating and smiling as they approach the finish line, with trees and flags in the background.

The 23rd Mount Desert Island Marathon, Half, and Relay on Sunday brought thousands to the island.

Marathoners rushed 26.2 scenic but grueling miles from Bar Harbor to Southwest Harbor racing through six island bridges as the fall foliage reached its peak.

Allen has said in the past that the marathon is for runners but it’s also for the island as a whole, a chance for people to cheer, volunteer, and join together.

Southwest Harbor’s third Finish Line Festival organized by the Acadia Chamber kicked it up another notch this year with food, fun, and music right on Main Street at the end of the race.

Results:

Three male runners on a podium after a race, with the first place winner wearing a laurel crown and holding a bouquet of flowers.

Matt Cheney, 33, of Brunswick won the marathon with a time of 2:34:22 and a 5:54 pace. Surry’s Aedyn Hughes, 20, was the first local finisher with his 2:54:07 time and 6:39 pace.

Denver, Colorado’s Beth Wright, 33, was the women’s winner with her time of 3:07:29 and 7:10 pace. Locally, Jean Johnson, 56, had a time of 3:39:29 and an overall 8:23 to lead local female marathoners.

Table displaying race results with columns for place, time, pace, bib number, name, team, age, sex, city, state, division, division place, and sex place. Participating runners include Beth Wright from Denver, Emily Proctor from Concord, and Annmarie Wolfe from Johnson City.
A leaderboard showing race results with placements, times, paces, bib numbers, names, teams, ages, sexes, cities, states, divisions, and division places.
A large group of runners participating in a race along a scenic road surrounded by colorful autumn foliage and mountains in the background.

In the men’s half, Bar Harbor’s Jack Hicks, 22, came in third overall for the marathon with a crushing 1:16:10 time and 5:49 pace. He was approximately five minutes behind first place winner Joe Stover, 27, of Cambridge’s 1:11:42 finish.

Three female runners stand on a podium after a race, smiling and displaying their medals. The woman in the center, wearing a black cap, holds first place with a medal around her neck. The other two wear medals for second and third place. A traffic sign is visible in the background.

Portland’s Amira Joseph, 33, came in ninth overall and first for women with her 1:22:13 finish and 6:17 pace. Locally, an overall time of 1:26:31 and pace of 6:37 brought Aleta Looker, 30, of Ellsworth best local woman honors.

Table displaying race results with participants' place, time, pace, bib number, name, team, age, sex, city, and state.
Results table of a race showing the top three finishers. 1st place: Joe Stover from Cambridge, MA, time 1:11:42. 2nd place: Cooper Parlee from Old Town, ME, time 1:13:25. 3rd place: Jack Hicks from Bar Harbor, ME, time 1:16:10.

For the relay, a 2:55:06 and 6:41 pace brought Bradford Eslin of 3 guys run MDI, 49, Bucksport top overall honors. Blue Hill’s Sharon Sheff, 62, came in second overall and first for women with her time of 3:17:24 and 7:33 pace.

Results table showing marathon finishers with rank and times: 1st place Bradford Eslin, 2nd place Sharon Scheff, and 3rd place Steven Pasquine.
A runner in a green outfit crossing the finish line at a race, while cheering spectators and flags are visible in the background.
Two men hugging in a warm outdoor setting with trees in the background, expressing a moment of friendship and celebration.
A smiling male runner wearing a green shirt and a backpack with water bottles, participating in a race surrounded by other runners in autumn scenery with colorful foliage.
A man in a kilt and a white long-sleeve shirt salutes while jogging on a country road during autumn, surrounded by colorful trees.

All of the adults’ race results are here.

MUSIC HARBOR

A man in a brown vest with a checkered shirt, holding a blue cup with a slice of fruit, stands in a bar setting with wooden decor and soft lighting.
Bo Jennings, organizer and founder of Music Harbor.

Music Harbor’s two-day event brought musicians and music lovers to venues across the island and into Trenton.

The dancing and energy—across so many music genres and venues—was palpable and often contagious. Patrons sang along, tapped their feet, lofted their beverages, and experienced live music in more than a dozen venues. Merchandise was provided by Little Village Gifts. It was sponsored by Baxter Brewing Co.

The event was founded by Bo Jennings, operations manager for Side Street Cafe and others.

A musician performing with an acoustic guitar and microphone, wearing a black hoodie and cap, in a lively outdoor setting.
A musician wearing a black beanie and glasses, looking down while playing an instrument in front of a pink wall.
A woman singing into a microphone while wearing oversized sunglasses and a pink sweater, next to a bearded man playing an acoustic guitar. The backdrop features a wooden wall with a metal art piece of a pig.
A musician playing an electric guitar while singing into a microphone, sitting on a stool. He is wearing a floral shirt and has music equipment and a tip jar beside him.
A musician singing into a microphone, wearing round sunglasses and a baseball cap, with long hair and a beard, set against a softly lit background.
A young musician singing into a microphone while playing an acoustic guitar on stage in a dimly lit venue.

NO KINGS

In its fourth group of nationwide events, “No Kings” demonstrations in Bar Harbor, Southwest Harbor, and Ellsworth were just two weeks before the nation’s midterm elections.

A few hundred Hancock County residents attended the Bar Harbor and Southwest Harbor events that national organizers hoped to focus on that election and be nonpartisan in the more than 2,500 events.

“No Kings” is a coalition of a broad group of over 150 organizations. Many of those are labor unions, human rights and environmental organizations, and political advocacy groups. There have been three “No Kings” rallies. There was also another nationwide demonstration earlier in 2025 that wasn’t officially under that banner. National news media has said that across the country that millions had joined the rallies.

Though the Southwest Harbor demonstrators have been having weekly stand-outs and others have had events in Bar Harbor and Ellsworth, this is the first official “No Kings” protest since March.

A group of people holding protest signs advocating for voting, with messages like 'Your Vote Matters' and 'Vote Blue: Stop This Madness'. The scene is set in a small town with autumn foliage.
Two protesters holding signs during a demonstration, with one sign reading 'No Kings' and another displaying 'Kings are a ONE WAY road to dictatorship'. In the background, there are other participants, American flags, and a sign promoting an event.
A person in an orange jacket holding a cardboard sign that reads 'So much WRONG - so little CARDBOARD!' at a protest, with people and trees in the background.
Three seniors holding protest signs outside, one sign says 'Vote Early', another says 'NOPE NOT NOW NOT EVER'.

Protestors lined the sidewalks of Southwest Harbor’s Main Street at the event that also had safety coordinators in yellow vests and police presences and a band.

In Bar Harbor, there was a table of information about voting and volunteering as attendees lined the edge of the Village Green along Mount Desert Street and Main Street.

CANCER BENEFIT

A woman wearing a red shirt with a logo and purple wig smiles at the camera, standing next to a man in a white costume with a mask and glasses, both in a kitchen setting.

We’ll have a separate and more traditional story about the benefit on Sunday that happened at Mainely Meat. The party featured superheroes, pink, and cancer awareness.

All photos: and video Bar Harbor Story. There are many more photos and videos of these events on our Facebook page.

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