Wayside Grange & Theatre proudly announces 2026 concert season
DEXTER — The Wayside Grange & Theatre is pleased to continue the concert series, beginning in May and going right through October.
The Wayside Grange & Theatre entertains the Penquis area with a wide variety of music. Some of the musical groups stem from the area and others traveling a great distance to bring you top notch entertainment. McKusick Petroleum again is fostering great music in the Penquis region with their generous donations to help continue the Wayside Grange & Theatre music mission.
The 2026 lineup begins Saturday, May 30 with Tuesday Knights which consists of locals Joe & Nellie Kennedy, plus Brooks & Kennedy.
Four old friends, Ken and Jane Brooks and Joe and Nellie Kennedy, perform acoustically on guitar, mandolin, stand-up bass and harmonicas with renditions of classic/traditional country and Americana music. The lead and harmony vocals are tight, sweet and well rehearsed. The instrumental work of Ken on guitar and Joe’s harmonicas are just right for every song and they are ably backed by Nellie’s mandolin work and Jane’s bass playing.
THE STAGE — The stage at the Wayside Grange & Theatre in North Dexter. The 2026 concert series starts in late May and runs through October.
Tuesday Knights will open the show and Brooks & Kennedy will perform after intermission.
June 13 brings a free concert, The Wooden Project. Carl McPhee returns to Wayside this year as a staged concert free to the public as The Wooden Project, a bluegrass and country ensemble from the south shore of Massachusetts.
Catch him again at the South Sangerville Grange in August for the Perseid Meteor Show and you can find more about this band on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheRockyRunBand.
June 27 Back Woods Road debuted on the Wayside stage in 2025 and returns with a new guitar player, Corey Bonnevie, considered one of the best flat pickers in New England. This is straight, old-fashioned bluegrass. Not the really slick stuff but delivered with a lot of energy. Richard Bernier (dobro), Jane Bernier (guitar), Mike Conant (fiddle), Dimitri Eleftherakis (bass) and Corey Bonnevie (guitar). Find more about Back Woods Road on their website at www.backwoodsroadband.com.
On July 25 the Wayside players once again bring the “wicked popular” Wayside Theatre Annual Variety Show. Original skits, comedy and local musicians comprised this annual, old fashioned variety show.
Last year, we took Big Pharma’s advice and found out whether Skyrizi is right for you. The year before, a snarky Artificial Intelligence gas pump outwitted Bill Egerd. What social trend gets humorously picked apart next? Resolve to come and see this and a whole lot more for yourself.
Back by popular demand Beartrack grace our state on Aug. 29: siblings Tom Venne (guitar) and Julie Hogan (bass guitar), backed by Freeman Corey, Jr. (fiddle) and Sten Isachsen (mandolin), return to Wayside for the third, consecutive summer.
Not strictly a bluegrass band, they wander to country songs. They have fun, engage the audience and are a joy to see and hear. Check out their website at www.beartracksband.com.
Sept. 19 we are pleased to be hosting Timberdoodle and Friends. This will be the first concert
of TobyHall (banjo), Sam Brown (guitar) and Stuart Moore (fiddle) as Timberdoodle. They are very informal, playing for enjoyment and haven’t played any festivals. But they played the Variety Show in 2025, did such a good job and have a lot of really nice music.
The denizens of Piscataquis County can seek them out at Blanchard Days. Individually, Moore and Hall play the Monson Jam every Friday either at the Finn Hall in the summer or the gallery downtown in the winter.
All three are members of Some Reel People, which plays the contra dance monthly at the Central Commons in Dover-Foxcroft, Dexter Age Friendly and Friends of The Meeting House and, in 2026, St. Patrick’s Day at Dirigo Pines, the Bread Fair in Skowhegan, the Downeast Folk Festival in Topsham and the Harmony Fair.
And to finish out the season on Oct. 24 Stillwater graces our stage in their debut appearance in North Dexter. Stillwater Takes their name from the river in Old Town, this six-piece band from near and far formed in 2023 and consists of Trip Nickel (flatpick guitar), Yoni Musher (mandolin, mandola), Kiera Luu (double bass), George Horvat (fiddle), Noah Vaughn Jackson (banjo) and Jack Pasternak (dobro, banjo). They played at the well respected Joe Val Bluegrass Festival in 2026 and you can find out more about this band at www.stillwaterband.com.
The historic Wayside Grange building is in North Dexter and creates the perfect setting for music and theatre. The building has served the Dexter community since 1919 and continues to provide quality and family friendly entertainment.
The Wayside Grange Kitchen is open for light desserts and “pretty good” coffee and is available in our downstairs dining area at intermission. At 6:30 p.m. the doors open for the concert and the stage at 7 p.m. There is no need for reservations and tickets are only $15 per person.
If you would like to join Wayside Grange & Theatre and/or volunteer, call Tim Breen at 207-355-5507 and please check out our Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/waysidestage and our webpage at www.WaysideGrange.org.
The Grange volunteers have improved the comfort level at the hall with air conditioning. We also have access at ground level entrance, and can be found at 851 North Dexter Road (Route 23). Keep watching our Facebook page for more family fun events.