At 6:30 on a Monday evening, a session starts at 317 Main Street that welcomes people "whether you're a seasoned trad player or you've never touched a tin whistle in your life." The Irish Session is hosted by 317 musician Emma Sloan and ends at 8. The next night something else is on, and the night after that a different genre with a different host.
317 Main Community Music Center runs its free live music on a weekday schedule. The drop-in sessions run Monday through Thursday, and the café they share a campus with closes for the weekend. In late November and December, two holiday closures take out more of those weeknights than the weekly pattern suggests.
A Different Genre and Host Each Night
The weekly sessions run 6:30 to 8 p.m. at 317 Main Street. Each night has its own host:
- Monday: Irish Session, hosted by Emma Sloan. The listing invites people to "grab your instrument (or just your ears!)" and "pull up a chair, tap your foot, and soak in the music."
- Second and fourth Tuesdays: Open Mic Night, hosted by musician and songwriter April Keezing. The center calls it "a low-key, welcoming night for sharing music, trying out new material, or just listening," and performers sign up through a link on the event page.
- Wednesday: Bluegrass Jam, hosted by 317 musician Lincoln Meyers in the Fox & the Fiddle café. All levels are welcome, from "a seasoned picker or brand new to the genre."
- Thursday: Cajun Jam, hosted by Pam Weeks, a fiddler and singer with the Maine-based Cajun dance band Jimmyjo & the Jumbol'Ayuhs. Her original tunes are played by musicians across the country.
Bluegrass came first. When Mainebiz profiled the center in 2023, its weekly drop-in jams had expanded beyond bluegrass to include Cajun and blues. The same profile describes the expanded building as having a café and pub and a 200-person performance hall.
Each night's description makes room for people who only want to listen. You don't need an instrument to come in, take a seat and stay until 8.
Why None of It Has a Cover Charge
The Bluegrass Jam listing explains why admission is free:
Bluegrass Jams are part of 317 Main's OpenDoors initiative, which provides free admission to community programs throughout the year. OpenDoors is supported by The Horizon Foundation and Maine Beer Company, who believe in free and accessible programming that strengthens our communities.
The Cajun Jam is also listed with free admission supported by OpenDoors. Maine Beer Company is one of the program's two named funders. The free admission is funded through a year-round program.
The Café Closes When the Music Ends
Fox & the Fiddle, where the Wednesday bluegrass happens, is what 317 Main calls "the neighborhood café at the heart of the 317 Main campus." Black Tie Company prepares the menu: locally roasted coffee, house-made pastries, soups and light bites. The center describes it as a place where "parents meet between classes, musicians gather before rehearsals, and audiences linger after performances."
The posted hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The café closes at the same time the evening sessions end, and it is closed Saturday and Sunday. If you want a coffee or a bowl of soup before the music starts, plan on getting there before 6:30.
Another new spot on Route 1 keeps a similar weekday schedule. Eartha Cafe opened on Monday, Oct. 12, 2026, in the former DeLorme building next to the Eartha globe. WJBQ reported that it is open Monday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and closed on weekends. The menu includes house-made breakfast and lunch, pastries, coffee, smoothies and grab-and-go meals. The cafe has said it is "a completely new business under different ownership," with a different menu and concept from the cafe that used the space before it. Between the two, you could get breakfast beside the globe and a jam session on Main Street on the same weekday.
Where the Weekly Pattern Breaks Before January
Two closures change the schedule between now and the new year. 317 Main's FAQ lists a Thanksgiving break from Nov. 24 to Nov. 28 and a winter break from Dec. 22, 2026, through Jan. 2, 2027. Here are the dates on the center's calendar, starting Thursday, Nov. 12:
- Thursday, Nov. 12: Cajun Jam, 6:30 to 8 p.m.
- Monday, Nov. 16: Irish Session.
- Tuesday, Nov. 17: Note by Note Student Showcase for piano and voice, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. It is free with no registration, and the center's youngest ensembles make "their first appearances on the 317 stage."
- Wednesday, Nov. 18: Bluegrass Jam.
- Thursday, Nov. 19: Cajun Jam.
- Monday, Nov. 23: Irish Session, the last session before the holiday.
- Tuesday, Nov. 24, through Thanksgiving weekend: Closed.
- Wednesday, Dec. 2: Bluegrass Jam, the next session on the calendar.
- Thursday, Dec. 3: Cajun Jam.
- Monday, Dec. 7: Irish Session.
- Tuesday, Dec. 8: Open Mic Night.
Open Mic is hit hardest. It runs on the second and fourth Tuesdays. The fourth Tuesday in November is Nov. 24, the first day of the Thanksgiving closure. The fourth Tuesday in December is Dec. 22, the first day of winter break. After the Nov. 10 session, that leaves Tuesday, Dec. 8, as the only Open Mic on the calendar before the new year. Performers can sign up through the form linked from the event listing.
There is also a gap after Thanksgiving. The calendar goes from the Nov. 23 Irish Session to the closure, and the next session listed is the Bluegrass Jam on Dec. 2. If Monday nights are your night, the next Irish Session on the calendar after Nov. 23 is Dec. 7.
The Friday With Programs
The weeknight sessions stop on Thursday, but Friday, Dec. 18, the last Friday before winter break, has two programs at 317 Main Street.
Circle Singing with Kathy Slack runs 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. It is open to everyone, requires no previous experience and no registration, and is free. It is set up the same way as the weeknight sessions: you show up and join in, with no tickets or sign-up.
Kids Night Out runs 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. the same night, with games, music, pizza and a movie. It is for ages 5 to 10 and costs $30 per child, pizza included. Spots are limited, so advance registration is required. Unlike the sessions, this one has a fee and a cap, so it's worth registering early.
Four days after Dec. 18, the campus closes until Jan. 3.
The weeknight sessions are one way Elise follows what goes on in Yarmouth's village after dark, alongside the cafés, the venues and the people who run them. If you're thinking about a home within walking distance of Main Street and want to know how the village actually spends its weeknights, Elise Kiely can walk you through it. Request a private consultation.
