Johnny’s List of Quirky Boston Events: 08/30/07
Hi gang,
Here are the weird upcoming events in New England.
The Weekly Dig is one of the largest and best hipster guide to what’s going on around town. Except my blog of course. They’re having their End of Summer Bash TODAY, 8/30, at 8pm, Baseball Tavern, 1270 Boylston St., Boston. 617-867-6526. Free. http://thebaseballtavern.com. A lot of live music will happen.
The weird this week starts with the Buskers Festival, Sep 2-3, in Newburyport, MA. Buskers are street performers, so you’ll see all kinds of magicians and jugglers.
Also weird and wonderful, a native american indian festival in Rehoboth MA which is my home town. This is the only event of note in Rehoboth. It’s the Seaconke Wampanoag Tride Annual Pow-wow, Sep 1-2, Redway Plains, Bay State Road at Winthrop Street, Rehoboth, MA. 401-723-1563. Come and camp there all weekend if you like. I went one year and it was fun. They have dancing, including participatory dancing, and there wasn’t any us-them speechifying, they were very inclusive to everyone. http://www.wanderingbull.com and http://www.500nations.com/Massachusetts_Events.
Have you heard of King Richard’s Faire? It is the largest and probably only Renaissance Faire close to Boston. It opens this weekend and runs Sep 1 – Oct 21, weekends only. You’ll find over 100 vendors of medeival trinkets such as candles and wooden swords. There are a dozen stages of performers of dance and music and trained animals. Wandering performers criss cross the faire and the best part is always the jousting tournaments. I’ve heard they don’t pay their performers much so you might actually get more entertainment at the Buskers Festival. But it’s an immersive experience and worth going especially if you’re a geek and have a costume. http://www.kingrichardsfaire.net
The Spencer Fair is the “largest agricultural fair in Central MA”, Aug 31 – Sep 3, which means, a cock crowing competition, a bee exhibit, horses, cows, and chickens. There’s even a demolition derby. While you’re in the area, it’s a great excuse to visit Davis Farmland for their petting zoo and huge corn field maze. http://www.spencerfair.org and http://www.davisfarmland.com
Similarly, a festival in Newport is really just an excuse to visit the mansions there. The Newport Waterfront Irish Festival, Sep 1-3, Newport Yachting Center, Newport, RI. As well as dance and music performances they’ll have dance instruction as well. http://newportfestivals.com/Irish-Festi
The Gloucester Schooner Festival is Aug 31 – Sep 3, in, you guessed it, Gloucester. They have several old timey sailing ships, which they’ll race, and you can see a rowing demonstration, and there’ll be live music. http://www.capeannvacations.com/schoone
This is the last week for free summer outdoor movies. They are:
— Brookline. Aug 30. The Great Race. http://www.town.brookline.ma.us/Dpw/sum
— Boston (Copley Square). The IFC free film fest is at the lawn in Copley Square outside Trinity Church. Sep 4: Raising Arizona, Sep 5: The Princess Bride, Sep 6: Napoleon Dynamite. Isn’t it funny how these free outdoor film organizers make it a big secret when the film starts? Hunt for it at http://ifc.com/freefilmfest
— Boston (Esplanade). Aug 31. Charlotte’s Web. http://www.wbz.com/pages/591886.php?con
— Dorchester. Aug 30. Happy Feet. http://www.bostonnatural.org/
Lewis Black, the comedian, performs Sep 2, on the South Shore. http://www.themusiccircus.org
The Tanglewood Jazz Festival is Aug 31 – Sep 2, and I called to confirm that the word festival is really a misnomer. It’s a concert. http://www.tanglewoodjazzfestival.c
The New England Culture Fest seems to be a real festival, not a concert series. Sep 1, 2-10pm in Downtown Lowell, MA. It’s a “world festival”, which means it’ll be eclectic, with music, fashion, and film. http://second-world.com/sw/cfsponsors.p
This week’s a little slow, so here are some bonus summer activities. I was just at Water Country, the largest water theme park in New England. It’s in Portsmouth NH and a must-see. http://www.watercountry.com. Also regionally, Water Wizz in Wareham, MA, http://www.waterwizz.com, and Water Wizz in RI, in Westerly, RI, http://www.waterwizzri.com. I guess nobody in the marketing department was thinking too clearly that Wizz might have a double meaning. Breezy Picnic Grounds Waterslides is on Cape Cod, http://www.breezysummer.com
Don’t feel like traveling but want to beat the heat? There are a number of water spray parks in Cambridge. http://www.ci.cambridge.ma.us/cdd/cp/pa
Do feel like traveling? Try whitewater rafting. There aren’t any locally (except Lowell in April-May), so head to Western MA or Maine for this. http://www.zoaroutdoor.com or http://www.crabappleinc.com or http://www.sacobound.com in North Conway, NH. Or http://unicornexpeditions.com/ in Maine.
Heading up to the White Mountains makes for a great weekend. Visit Six Gun City & Fort Splash in Jefferson, NH. http://www.waterwizz.com. Hike the Flume Gorge and go looking for Moose through Pemi Valley Excursions, http://www.i93.com/pvsr. You can take the Cog Railway, a train, to the top of Mt. Washington, http://www.thecog.com, the highest peak in New England.
There are plenty of local hiking spots, though. Massachusetts has a number of state parks. I was just at Purgatory Chasm, south of Worcester, which has a huge boulder fields you can climb around on, http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/central/p
I’ve heard there’s “Swallow Cave” in Nahant but haven’t seen it. Info, anyone? The closest real caves are in upstate New York. I’ve been and they’re definitely worth a trip! Howes Cavern & Secret Caverns, http://www.secretcaverns.com and www.howecaverns.com. Howes is a little touristy but very professional. Secret Caverns is more homey but beautiful and you may have the tour all to yourself. Also if you call ahead to schedule you can get an “adventure tour” where you’ll get wet and dirty and get to wear a lamp on your head and see more of the place.
Continuing events, Misalliance to Sep 9 and Romeo & Juliet to Sep 16, http://www.publicktheatre.com. “Walk Inside the Camera” to 9/14, http://www.brooklineartscenter.com/even
Ciao for niao.
-Johnny