04/27/2026
STEPHEN KING’s 79th BIRTHDAY CARNIVAL UPDATE: Dollar Baby film festival added.
Max Blaska from Madison, Wisconsin is returning to Bangor to host the “Dollar Babies Come Home Film Festival” as part of the two day downtown Bangor birthday party, September 19-20.
Stephen King’s "Dollar Baby" program allowed aspiring filmmakers to adapt his short stories for $1. The program ended in 2023, but 100s of short films were made.
“I like the idea of all these films coming back to where the author wrote the stories they were based on,” said Blaska, who made a Dollar Baby called “Last Rung on the Ladder.”
He added the film fest “program will run as a 90–120 minute loop featuring a mix of Dollar Baby adaptations that center on mental health and bullying.”
September is su***de awareness month. 
Initial plans are to have the film festival at The Emporium Spooky Goods and More, which is moving to a new location on Main Street.
2 Feet Brewing, In Derry, Maine T-shirt Co., and SK Tours of Maine are again hosting King’s birthday featuring the “Derry, Maine Beer Garden” and Dollar Baby film festival on Saturday, Sept. 19; and community-supported Stephen King’s 79th Birthday Carnival and “Pet Sematary Pet Parade” on Sunday, Sept. 20.
Mark your calendars! 🎈🎈🎈