Looking for free family fun on Valentine's Day?

You might consider Artascope Studios in South Portland, which is hosting a free open-house and "card-making extravaganza" on Saturday, Feb. 14, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The workshop will help people learn about card-making techniques, including collage, stamping, drawing and painting. The event is free.

Artascope is located at 352 Cottage Road, in the Meeting House Hill neighborhood. The phone number is 799-5154.

For more information, check out the Artascope Web site.

Maine's public libraries are a great source of free family fun, from story hours to crafts sessions to book-themed parties.

But most of us only take advantage of the stuff at our nearest library, the one in our town. Why not shop around at area libraries to find as much free family entertainment as possible?

One way to do that is to search the events calendar on a Web site maintained by the Maine State Library called Maine Libraries.

The searchable calendar lets you plug in dates and then choose the type of event you're looking for, such as children's events, book sales, films, lectures, performances, or workshops.

If you plug in children's events for this coming week, for instance, you'll find there's a story and song time for babies at the Hollis Center Public Library, a fiber arts workshop for kids ages 8-12 at the Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick and a story and craft event at the Zadoc Long Free Library in Buckfield.

Plus a lot more.

The calendar listings include links to the specific library's Web site, so you can get a lot more information on each event.

If you haven't taken a free horse-drawn wagon ride around downtown Portland this holiday season, you better hurry.

This weekend is your last chance.

The free wagon rides, organized by Portland's Downtown District, are a great way to see the colorful holiday lights in the Arts District and in the Old Port.

The rides have been running on weekends since Thanksgiving, and the last three days for rides are this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The wagons leave from Monument Square, on Congress Street, every half hour. The wagon ride hours are: 4 to 8 p.m. Friday; 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday; and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.

For more information, go online at the downtown district's Web site. or call 772-6828.

You can also catch a free horse-drawn carriage ride in front of L.L. Bean's flagship store in Freeport every Saturday and Sunday through Dec. 28 from 1 to 7 p.m.

If you missed Portland's big tree lighting and family festivities last Friday, just head over the Casco Bay Bridge this Friday for South Portland's yearly free holiday shindig at Mill Creek Park and city hall.

South Portland's Holiday Fest will begin Friday at around 4:30 p.m. with horse-drawn wagon rides. From 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. kids can have pictures with santa at the city hall. There will also be student groups singing.

But the highlight will be at 6 p.m. when the switch is flicked to light the dozens of decorated trees in Mill Creek Park. You can find the park by going over the bridge and staying on Broadway until the intersection with Ocean Street. The park is on your left.

For more info, call the city offices at 767-3201, or go to the town's Web site.

With rain in the forecast this weekend, you're probably looking for some indoor place to take the kids to get them out of the house.

Here's an idea for Saturday: The Children's Nursery School in Portland's West End will host its annual Grand Bazaar from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Williston-West Church, 32 Thomas Street.

It's a fund-raising event, with free admission and lots of free things to do.

There'll be storytelling, music, a magician, children's activities, face painting and a play space. Money will be raised through a giant silent auction and raffles. Call 780-0226 for more information.

Free comic books and hot dogs will be given out this Saturday in Eliot at an event called "Capt'n Eli Family Fun Day."

The event will be the launch party for the new graphic novel series "The Undersea Adventures of Capt'n Eli" by Portland artist Jay Piscopo. Capt'n Eli is also the logo for Maine-made Capt'n Eli sodas. And the sodas will be free too.

The event will be from noon to 3 p.m. at the Regatta Banquet and Conference Center on Route 236. Besides a free "Capt'n Eli" comic book, hot dogs and soda, there will be live music, a hands-on ocean display, a race car and more.

People can also meet the artist and get a free sketch.

For more info on the character, see the Capt'n Eli Web site

For more info on the event or the location, see the Regatta's Web site

Here's a free event this weekend that sounds fun, plus you might learn something.

It's the Tree School's Fall Family Festival from noon to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

The school, on Spring Street in Portland's West End, will be celebrating "peace and culture" with music, art, movement, food, storytelling, yoga and more.

For more information, go to the school's Web site