Johnny’s List of Quirky Boston Events: 09/03/08
09/03/08 by
Johnny Monsarrat
Today I’m trying a revised style that lets you scan the blog quickly, but allows me to be chatty and make comments as well.
| The Week in Weird | |||
| I never thought the festival of the week would be in Pawtucket, RI! But here it is. They’ll have asian dance, crafts, martial arts, and dragonboat races all day. It’s also part of a larger festival that includes magic, dance, visual arts, a film festival, and a whole lot more. 8am-5pm. School Street Pier, School St. , Pawtucket, RI.401-724-2200. more |
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| RI Dragonboat Races & Taiwan Day | Sep 6 | Pawtucket, RI | |
| I also recommend the Brazilian Independence Day Festival, even though I’ve never been, because Brazilians really know how to party. The core of the event is Sunday, 12pm-6pm, in the park on Soliders Field Road across from Channel 4. They’ll have a parade, music, and the usual kids stuff like balloon animals. Artesani Park, Soldier’s Field Road, 1234 Charles River, Boston, MA. more |
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| Brazilian Independence Day Festival | Sep 3 – Sep 7 | Boston, MA | |
| I’ve always wanted to see this one! It’s a weekend festival for serious astronomy buffs, but everyone is invited. You can camp or just visit, with model rockets and nature walks in the day and serious stargazing at night. Arunah Hill, Cummington, MA. more |
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| Anuna Hill Days (Stargazing Weekend) | Sep 5 – Sep 7 | Cummington, MA | |
| This one isn’t that weird but you simply must get out to Old Sturbridge Village! It’s my favorite of the re-enactment villages in New England (the others being Plimoth Plantation, Strawbery Banke, Hancock Shaker Village). Go and experience the 1840s, and then stay after dark for this nighttime treat where they fire up their kiln. (Frankly, so what, but just go already.). 1 Old Sturbridge Village Road, Sturbridge, MA.(508) 347-3362. more |
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| Evening at the Kiln @ OSV | Sep 6 | Sturbridge, MA | |
| It’s more than just bull riding, it’s some sort of world competition. And a good excuse to catch Cape Cod because the warm weather flees. I was on Martha’s Vinyard a couple of weeks ago and it wasn’t exactly culture-tastic but the beaches were nice and they have a moderate number of cutesy shops. I did NOT actually see lots of painted seashells and watercolors of sailing ships, thank goodness. Barnstable County Fairgrounds, Barnstable, MA.508-563-3200. more more |
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| World Cup Bull Riders | Sep 6 – Sep 7 | Barnstable, MA | |
| Speaking of “WTF??” events, I was stunned to learn that there’s a Swiss event happening, the first I’ve ever heard of in New England. It’s sponsored by the Swiss travel bureau and they want to promote swimming in the Charles. Because when you think Switzerland, you think beach, not mountainous landlocked country of watches and chocolate. They’ll have games and such. 2-5pm. Weeks Footbridge along Memorial Drive near JFK Street, Cambridge, MA. more |
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| Swiss Beach Day at the Charles | Sep 7 | Cambridge, MA | |
| What’s better than the largest zoo in New England? Free admission!! Bring a Massachusetts state ID. Bless them for doing it on a Saturday. While you’re out there, check out the Mendon Drive-in Theatre at http://www.mendondrivein.com. 2 Southwick Street, Mendon, MA.800-258-9182. more |
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| Massachusetts Day at Southwick’s Zoo | Sep 6 | Mendon, MA | |
| The great people at the Minute Man National Historical Park just keep pumping out Revolutionary Warsy lovin’. This one is a 3.5 hour walk along the “battle trail” that was basically one long car chase, sans cars, circa 1775. 12:30pm. Free. Minute Man Visitor Center – Rt 2A, Lexington, MA.(978) 318-7825. more |
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| Battle Road Trail Walk | Sep 6 | Lexington, MA | |
| Sep 4 at 7pm and Sep 6 from 2-5pm, native american peoples will be giving holding lectures and “giving workshops” on cultural topics at the Boston Public Library. Also, there will be a boat tour of Boston Harbor focusing on native american topics!. Boston Public Library, Copley Square, Boston, MA. more |
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| Boston Charter Day (Native American Festival) | Sep 4 – Sep 6 | Boston, MA | |
| For some reason, two airplane shows are converging at the same time in New England. This one looks bigger, with flying and parachuting demonstrations, and vintage aircraft to check out on the ground. 9am-4pm. Westover Air Reserve Base, Chicopee, MA.413-557-3290. more |
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| Great New England Air Show | Sep 6 – Sep 7 | Chicopee, MA | |
| This other one is all over: 9/8-10 in Lincoln, RI; 9/10-12 in Hyannis, MA; 9/12-15 in Plymouth, MA; 9/15-17 in Plymouth, NH; 9/17-19 in Manchester, NH; 9/19-9/22 in Beverly, MA; 9/22-24 in New Bedford, MA. This one you actually get to fly in an old bomber aircraft and it’s far more expensive. more |
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| Wings of Freedom Tour | Sep 8 – Sep 24 | Various Locations | |
| Now for a few small little festivals that warm the heart. I love to go out and see people who are enthusiasts, and small settings can bring you closer to their culture. The Somerville Greek and Music Festival has been well-advertised and seems like fun. Fri 12-11, Sat 12-11, Sun 12-9. Church, 29 Central Street, Somerville, MA.617-625-2222. more |
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| Somerville Greek and Music Festival | Sep 5 – Sep 7 | Somerville, MA | |
| It’s Cambridge vs. Somerville! Italian vs. Greek! Maybe you could sneak into both festivals. This one features the healing saints, so there might be a lot of sick people there, I dunno. Wear a mask and try not to touch anyone. Sat 2-11pm, Sun 11:30-11. They’ll have a small carnival and a parade Sunday at 1pm. Warren St at Cambridge St, Cambridge, MA. more |
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| Festival of the Healing Saints Cosmas and Damian | Sep 6 – Sep 7 | Cambridge, MA | |
| Free admission and kids events (darn those lucky kids!!!) at Ye Olde Yete Anothere Coloniale Bostone Buildinge. Old State House Museum, Boston, MA. more |
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| Boston’s 378th Birthday Party @ Old State House | Sep 7 | Boston, MA | |
| They try so hard in Lowell to attract tourists with culture things. Come check this out. It’s free and you get to see lots of fiddling around. 10am-6pm and it’s followed by an evening concert outdoors at 7:30pm. Boarding House Park, Lowell, MA.978-970-5028. more |
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| Annual Banjo & Fiddle Contests | Sep 6 | Lowell, MA | |
| While you’re in Lowell, they’re having an entirely separate event with music and dance from all over the world. They’ll have lots of art vendors and even a fashion show. 2-10pm. Enterprise Bank Parking Lot, 172 Middle Street, Lowell, MA. more |
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| New England Culturefest | Sep 6 | Lowell, MA | |
| This one’s probably worth seeing, but seems to be a straight concert and not so much a festival. It’s free but they seem to expect a reservation. 2-7pm. Stage Fort Park, Gloucester, MA.978.525.9093. more |
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| Celebrate Gloucester | Sep 7 | Gloucester, MA | |
| This one’s small but good. It’s a farm but it’s in classy Concord, and they’ll have hayrides. And BBQ!! Unfortunately the ponies and clown are just for kids. 12-4pm. 11 Wheeler Road, Concord, MA.978-369-4494. more |
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| Verrill Farm Barbecue | Sep 7 | Concord, MA | |
| One notch further down the classy-ness pole, this one’s probably good to skip. The problem is, it’s too expensive for an event where the vendors and attendees are sort of “agricultural fair”, complete with racing pigs. However, it’s a beautiful mountain venue, and so much fun to ride the gondola (which costs extra) or go to a hike in the nearby Wachusett Mountain state park (free). While you’re in the area, check out Davis Farmland in Sterling, MA for their petting zoo and corn field maze, http://davisfarmland.com. Wachusett Mountain Ski Area, Princeton, MA.(978) 464-2300. more |
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| Wachusett Mountain Music Festival | Sep 6 – Sep 7 | Princeton, MA | |
| Also near Mt. Wachusett, this is the perfect New England home town experience, complete with a demo of crash test dummies, a pie-eating contest, martial arts, live music, arts & crafts, step dancers, you name it. This is VERY close to Davis Farmland in Sterling, MA. Fri 5-10, Sat 10-4. Central Park, Church St at Union St, Clinton, MA.978-365-6723. more |
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| Clinton Olde Home Day | Sep 5 – Sep 6 | Clinton, MA | |
| Just for completion’s sake, here’s a reminder to check out Davis Farmland. They have a petting zoo, although you’re supposed to have a child with you, find some family and just walk in the front gate with ’em. And they have the best maze in New England, made out of a corn field. 145 Redstone Hill, Sterling, MA.978-422-8888. more |
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| Davis Farmland & Megamaze | Sep 2 – Oct 31 | Sterling, MA | |
| I generally look down on single-food events, but this one seems to pack a punch and the location is beautiful. As well as the seafood, they’ll have a ton of art vendors, chef demonstrations, two stages for live music, and they’ll have fireworks Saturday and a skydiving performance Sunday. Ocean Boulevard, Hampton, NH.603-926-8718. more |
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| Annual Seafood Festival @ Hampton Beach | Sep 5 – Sep 7 | Hampton, NH | |
| Also Fun | |||
| If anyone cares, Brimfield is having another of their regular “festivals”. They’re the largest in New England and I’m sure it’s great if you’re an antique, um, antique collector. Off of Rt 20. Rt 20 at Rt 19, Brimfield, MA.(413) 245 3209. more |
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| Brimfield Antiques Festival (Fall) | Sep 2 – Sep 7 | Brimfield, MA | |
| There’s really not much reason to visit Springfield, except for some decent museums, or if you’re on your way to Six Flags New England. But if you’re going to go, why not go now and see a local arts festival?. Mattoon Street, Springfield, MA.413-736-0629. more |
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| Mattoon Street Arts Festival | Sep 6 – Sep 7 | Springfield, MA | |
| Do you like animals? Can you walk? You have what it takes to raise money. Also events in Springfield and Hyannis. Boston Common, Boston, MA. more |
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| MSPCA Walk for Animals | Sep 7 | Boston, MA | |
| Outdoor Movies | |||
| Sep 5: Some movie, call them. NARA Park, Acton, MA.(978) 264-9608. more |
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| Outdoor Movie Night at NARA Park, Acton | Jun 13 – Sep 13 | Acton, MA | |
| Sep 4: Alfred Hitchcock’s “Notorious”, Seven Hills Park, Davis Square. Various locations, Somerville, MA.617-666-3311. more |
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| City of Somerville Annual Movie Series | Jul 10 – Sep 4 | Somerville, MA | |
| Movies begin at 7:30pm. 9/5 Bee Movie, 9/12 The Wizard of Oz, 9/19 Hook. Heritage Museums & Gardens, Sandwich, MA. more |
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| Family Movie Night Under the Stars | Aug 29 – Sep 19 | Sandwich, MA | |
| 9/3: 7:30pm, “My Young Auntie”, a kung fu smackdown and wacky comedy. 9/4, 7:30pm, “Police Story”, a Jackie Chan action comedy I can personally vouch for as AWESOME. 9/5, 7:30pm: “Red Heroine”, the oldest swordplay film ever. 9/6: 7:30pm: The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, a martial arts classic. 9/7: 7:30pm Iron Monkey, preceded by a martial arts demo at 7:20. Vacant paved lot on Hudson Street between Beach and Kneeland Streets, Boston, MA. more |
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| Outdoor Film at the Chinatown Gate | Sep 3 – Sep 7 | Boston, MA | |
| 9/5: 7pm live Brazilian music and 8pm the film “Deus é Brasileiro”. 9/12: 7pm Indian music and 8pm the film “Paheli”. 9/19: 7pm live accordion music and 8pm the classic Italian film “Il Postino”. parking lot behind the old fire station, 165 Broadway, Somerville, MA.617.623.3869. more |
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| International Movie Nights in East Somerville | Sep 7 – Sep 21 | Somerville, MA | |
| Outdoor Theatre | |||
| THE SEAGULL, by Anton Chekhov, to Sep 7, HAY FEVER by Noel Coward, to Sep 30. Publick Theatre at Christian Herter Park, 1175A Soldiers Field Road, Brighton, MA.617-454-1444. more |
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| Outdoor stage at the Publick Theatre | Jul 3 – Sep 14 | Brighton, MA | |
| Recurring Events | |||
| Providence Place, Providence, RI.401 751-1221. more | |||
| Waterfire | May 24 – Nov 11 | Providence, RI | |
| Come for the Murder Mystery Dinner, or for the Big Band Dance, with lessons beforehand. 401-846-3772. more |
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| Murder Mystery & Evening With the Astors @ Beechwood Mansion | Jul 3 – Oct 30 | Newport, RI | |
| Interactive murder mystery dinner theatre. 260 West Main Street, West Brookfield, MA.508-867-2345. more |
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| Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre @ Salem Cross Inn | Jul 25 – Sep 19 | West Brookfield, MA | |
| Trying to compete with Davis Farmland and the Davis MegaMaze, the Kimball Farm is hosting its own corn maze. Kimball Farm Corn Maze, 780 East Broadway, Haverhill, MA.978 521-3990. more |
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| Kimball Farm Corn Maze | Aug 23 – Oct 31 | Haverhill, MA | |
| It’s yet another arts festival, this time on one of the region’s island paradises. more |
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| Nantucket Arts Festival | Aug 29 – Sep 5 | Nantucket Island | |
| This is the region’s largest Renaissance Festival. It’s worth a visit, especially to see the jousting, although they don’t pay their stage acts much and it shows. So you’ll see lesser jugglers, musicians, and stuntpeople performing, and lots and lots of vendors. Rt 3 S to Rt 44 W to Rt 58 S. Weekends and Holidays only. (508) 866-5391. more |
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| King Richard’s Faire (Ren Faire) | Aug 30 – Oct 19 | Carver, MA | |
| Performance | |||
| A comedy about actors bringing true theatre to panhandlers during the 19th century gold rush. Huntington Theatre Company, 264 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA.617-266-0800. more |
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| How Shakespeare Won the West | Sep 5 – Sep 7 | Boston, MA | |
| These are the people who clown around but also do acrobatics in the air on long silk strands. I thought I’d include it. Bayside Expo Center, Boston, MA.800-678-5440. more |
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| Cirque du Soleil | Sep 5 – Oct 12 | Boston, MA | |
| Road Trip | |||
| I’m told it’s the best Renaissance Faire on the east coast and worth a trip. Crownsville Road, Crownsville, MD. more |
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| Maryland Renaissance Festival @ Silver Springs | Aug 23 – Oct 19 | Crownsville, MD | |
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-Johnny