BRUNSWICK — Longfellow Days, the annual celebration of 19th-century poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, will begin Feb. 4 and feature cultural programs and activities focusing on the environment and sustainability

The 21-day program, “Longfellow and the Landscape: Earth, Sea and Sky,” will include lectures, presentations by local authors and community members, as well as a locavore dinner at Bowdoin College.

Longfellow’s works contain descriptions of the natural world – forest creatures in “The Song of Hiawatha” and the farming communities of “Evangeline,” or the wind and waves depicted in “The Wreck of the Hesperus.”

Each event during Longfellow Days will link the poet’s connections to the celebration of nature.

On Feb. 4, at 4 p.m. and 5 p.m., watercolor artist Evelyn Dunphy will be at the Frontier Cafe in Fort Andross to discuss Longfellow’s work. Dunphy has been recognized by the Trust for Public Lands for her contributions to the largest conservation project in state history through the expansion of Baxter State Park and Katahdin Lake.

The film “Following in the Footsteps of Frederic Church,” which shows Dunphy conducting a painting workshop, will be shown at 5:30 p.m. The event is free.

Also on Feb. 4, Maine gardeners Robin Robinson and Jocelyn Hubbell will show an illustrated presentation called “Gardens Galore.” The event will be held at 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. at the Frontier Cafe. The cost is $10 with a reservation and $12 at the door. Proceeds benefit Maine Street plantings by the Village Improvement Association.

Reservations can be made by calling 725-5222.

Parents and children of all ages are invited to attend “Around the Old Camp Fire” on Feb. 6. The event will be held at Crystal Spring Farm at 277 Pleasant Hill Road and feature the toasting of marshmallows around a fire. Participants are encouraged to bring their telescopes and binoculars. The free event begins at 4 p.m., rain or shine.

Feb. 7 kicks off a three-part series of readings from local poets, including Alice Persons, Bruce Spang and Herb Coursen. The free event will begin at 1 p.m. at the Fireplace Room of the Curtis Memorial Library.

On Feb. 10, the Moulton Union dinning hall at Bowdoin College will hold a locavore dinner that begins at 6 p.m. The dinner will feature foods from local suppliers of cheese, meet and produce. Salads will include red cabbage slaw, black bean and tomato, sliced beets and roasted root vegetable. Main courses will be Maine beef stew, frittata of Maine potato, onion and cheese, and grilled tofu steaks with caramelized onions.

The meal, which costs $20 per person, will be followed by a presentation outlining Bowdoin’s sustainability achievements. Reservations are required; call 729-4439.

For a full schedule of Longfellow Day events, visit brunswickdowntown.com/longfellow-days.

Steve Mistler can be reached at 373-9060 ext. 123 or smistler@theforecaster.net

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