Haunted Grade School, MIT Robot Wars, Snow Sculpture, 1892 Carnival, Breakdancing, Ren Faire, Birdwatching

01/27/10 by Johnny Monsarrat

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-Johnny

The Week in Weird
Sleep No More	10/8 – 2/7	Boston Metro
I finally went to see Sleep No More and you really MUST go. They’ve transformed over 40 rooms of a schoolhouse into a haunted house based on Shakespeare’s Macbeth, complete with actors who dance, fight, and perform without speaking a word. It’s too weird to describe. JUST GO. Some School, Brookline, MA. more
MIT 6.270 Robot Competition (physical robots)	1/28	Boston Metro
7pm. Also, it’s robot competition week at MIT, as different classes come to an end. This one’s the biggest and best, where students build physical robots and have them compete. MIT Room 26-100, Cambridge, MA. more more
Market Day at Birka: Renaissance Faire	1/29 – 1/30	New Hampshire
Perhaps you prefer the past to the future. This is the largest local event by the SCA, the Society for Creative Anachronism, as seen in the 2008 movie “Role Models”. They’ll have a medeival market place, food, costuming, fight tournaments, and you’ll learn something about history. Radish Hotel, 700 Elm Street, Manchester, NH.603-715-5523. more
Annual Snow Sculpting Competition	1/29 – 1/31	New Hampshire
Also in New Hampshire, watch artists make sculptures out of snow. Pretty neat! Black Mountain, Jackson, NH.603-383-9356. more
Superbowl of Birding @ Joppa Flats	1/30	Northern Mass
This week you can also go birdwatching and “compete” in teams to find the most birds. Everyone welcome. 5am to 5pm. Joppa Flats Education Center, Newburyport, MA.978-462-9998. more
Carny Knowledge: A Sideshow Extravaganza of Original Plays and Extraordinary Oddities	1/29 – 2/6	Boston Metro
This series of performances also comes with sideshow displays, like a real old-timey carnival. It seems strange and engaging! Cambridge YMCA, 820 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA. more more
Amherst Railway Society – Big Railroad Hobby Show	1/30 – 1/31	Western Mass
Way out west is a model train show. They hook together dozens of privately built tracks to create one huge railroad track system. They don’t actually say where it is to be held. But here’s the address from last year. Eastern States Exposition, 1305 Memorial Ave, West Springfield, MA.617-822-4046. more
Battles at the Buzzer (Breakdancing)	1/30	Boston Metro
Personally, however, I’d rather see a breakdancing competition. 12-7pm. It’s not on their website but I got an email confirmation this really is happening. Wonderbar, 186 Harvard Ave., Allston, MA. more
Charm School @ MIT	1/29	Boston Metro
Also for geeks, Charm School teaches the unwritten rules of social conduct, like what to do with all those forks at a fancy restaurant. No signup required. Student Center, MIT, Cambridge, MA. more
Maslab Robotics Contest	1/29	Boston Metro
Also involving real robots! Open house at 4pm and final exhibition 5:30-6:30. MIT Room 26-100, Cambridge, MA. more
MIT 6.370 Robot Competition (software “bots”)	1/30	Boston Metro
This one involves software-only robots that compete in a virtual world. With lasers! OooOo. 7-9pm. MIT Kresge Auditorium, Cambridge, MA. more
Also Fun
Annual Hummus Taste Off	1/28	Boston Metro
Also at MIT: free food! Yum! MIT, Cambridge, MA. more
Death By Chocolate 2010	1/31	Boston Metro
This one’s not free. It’s $15, and they promise a “fun day of eating and tasting chocolate”. An entire day of eating? Is that a good thing? Will it still be fun the day after? Crown Plaza Newton, 320 Washington St., Newton, MA. more
Integration Bee	1/27	Boston Metro
You’d have to be a little loco to participate, but it might be fun to watch math wizards compete. MIT, Cambridge, MA. more
Winter Volunteer Day @ Franklin Park	1/30	Boston Metro
I’m always on the lookout for outdoorsy events for you. This one requires you to work! But it’s all for a good cause. Franklin Park, Boston, MA. more
Full-Moon Family Snowshoe Hike	1/30	Western Mass
Night-time hikes always seem tempting. This one comes with snowshoes! Peaked Mountain, Monson, MA. more
Great Rotary Ice Fishing Derby	1/30 – 1/31	New Hampshire
I’ve got no interest in fish but would be curious just to see ice fishing. Meredith, NH. more
Instrument Petting Zoo	1/30	Boston Metro
To encourage kids to join their school, this school will let you experiment with a variety of musical instruments. Brookline Music School, 25 Kennard Rd, Brookline, MA.617-277-4593. more
AIDS Action’s Dance Party	1/29	Boston Metro
This used to be a dance marathon and now it’s only 4 hours long. Marriott Hotel, 110 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA. more
Recurring Events
Rock-paper-scissors Championship	1/27	Boston Metro
TONIGHT! In Somerville, test your mettle at the ultimate psych-out game: Rock Paper Scissors. And this time, you’re doing it for prizes. What I want to know is, how can they stretch such a rapid sport into an entire evening’s entertainment? 6:30pm. $5. 21+. PA’s Lounge, 345 Someville Ave, Somerville, MA.617-776-1557. more
Cranapalooza	1/30 – 3/6	New Hampshire
Every Saturday through mid-March they’ll have events and fireworks. They have a Fun Zone indoor amusement park, too. And snow tubing. Cranmore Mountain, North Conway, NH. more
Winterfest Weekends @ Fruitlands Museum	1/16 – 2/28	Worcester
I’m always skeptical of ‘festivals’ that last over a month and seem to be “business as usual”. However, the Fruitlands Museum has sled trails, ice skating (but not rentals?), and a bonfire! 102 Prospect Hill Road, Harvard, MA.978-456-3924. more
Sleigh rides & smores at Point of View Farm	1/1 – 2/15	New Hampshire
Weekends through February, you can get a real sleigh ride in New Hampshire. 160 South Road, Deerfield, NH.603-463-7974. more
Kimball Farm Horse-Draw Sleigh Rides	1/1 – 2/15	Northern Mass
Or closer to Boston in Haverhill, MA, if there’s snow. Kimball Farm Corn Maze, 780 East Broadway, Haverhill, MA.978 521-3990. more
Breakdance Classes	1/4 – 1/27	Boston Metro
Learn to breakdance! I’ve been to this one and it’s really fun! MIT, Cambridge, MA. more
MIT IAP (Independent Activities Period)	1/4 – 1/29	Boston Metro
Over winter break, MIT holds a variety of classes, lectures, and special events, many of which are wonderfully weird and open to the public. Check their calendar. MIT, Cambridge, MA.617-253-1000. more
Performance
Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival	1/26 – 1/31	New Hampshire
This is the regional portion of the nation’s foremost college-level theater festival. I went one year and it’s surprisingly fun. University of New Hampshire, Durham, Durham, NH. more
Bread and Puppet Theatre	1/28 – 1/31	Boston Metro
27 puppeteers and a brass band. One show for adults and one for kids. 539 Tremont Street, Boston, MA.617-426-1522. more
Atwater-Donnelly	1/29	Metro West
My favorite folk group is still in the area. Normally they play in Rhode Island. 7:30 pm. $15/$10 5-18 year olds/quiet children under 5 free. Trinity Covenant Church, 7 Clematis Road, Lexington, MA.(781) 237-7417. more more
Annual A Cappella Fest in Brookline	1/30 – 1/31	Boston Metro
I can’t resist a capella performances, and even those these take place in unusual places (temples), they draw talent from the major a capella colleges, so it’s likely to be good. Different locations each night, Brookline, MA. more