I’ll be at the new Life Happens Outside Festival this weekend!

If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, consider joining me at the new Life Happens Outside Festival, a celebration of all things outdoors, scheduled for 6-10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 25, and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 26, at Thompson’s Point in Portland.

The festival — planned as the first annual fundraising event for the nonprofit Teens to Trails — will feature “Villages” filled with more than 50 outdoor vendors and exhibits, a schedule packed with workshops and demonstrations, food trucks, competitions and the Maine Outdoor Film Festival. Plan to see plenty of booths and programs devoted to outdoor sports including rock climbing, paddling, hiking, backpacking and biking.

I’ll be there both days, but in an official capacity on Saturday in the Kids’ Village, where I’ll be giving a free workshop on hiking with kids (including tips for finding trails, what to pack and trail games) from 2 to 2:30 p.m., with my new book “Family Friendly Hikes in Maine” available for sale and signing before and after.

In its first year, the festival has drawn an impressive list of vendors and sponsors, including L.L.Bean, Sterling Rope, Maine Yoga (which will be offering yoga programs throughout the festival), Outdoor Sport Institute, Adventure Bound, Sail Maine, Portland Paddle, Patagonia, Alpenglow, Salt Pump Climbing Co., Chewonki, WinterKids, Maine Canoe and Kayaking Racing Organization, the Bicycle Coalition of Maine and many, many more. Oh.. and Baxter Brewing Company — there will be beer.

I’ll be wandering around on Friday, so if you see me and want to come say hi, please do! And again, I’ll be in the Kids’ Village on Saturday. I hope to see you there!

For information about the venue, workshop schedule and ticket prices, visit www.lifehappensoutside.org.

Aislinn Sarnacki

About Aislinn Sarnacki

Aislinn is a Bangor Daily News reporter for the Outdoors pages, focusing on outdoor recreation and Maine wildlife. Visit her main blog at actoutwithaislinn.bangordailynews.com.