Johnny’s List of Quirky Boston Events: 11/17/05

11/17/05 by

The most interesting thing happening this week is probably
The MIT Museum’s Friday After Thanksgiving Chain Reaction, Nov 25th, 1-4pm in MIT’s Zeisigner Center. You get to build your own Rube Goldberg device with MIT people and watch as strings pull pencils that drop popcorn onto a bunsen burner and startle the goose who presses a lever. Sounds awesome. Contact them ahead of time about starting a team, or just show up to watch. While you’re there, check to see if they still have that house behind the MIT Museum in the alleyway, that you can build if you were a refugee using just a mallet.
The season of festivals continues to peter out. However, this weekend is
The Greater Boston Antiques Festival, November 19-20, 2005, Shriner’s Auditorium, Wilmington, MA. Just between us girls, how much fun could this possibly be? It is basically a big flea market, except the stuff is old.
Everyone’s favorite ballet,
The Nutcracker, opens Nov 25th as well. I’ve never seen this or any other ballet, but it’s supposed to be good so hey. Opera House, 539 Washington Street, Boston.
A few more museums to get your juices flowing. I was really impressed by the
Fuller Museum of Art, in Brockton. Like me, I’m sure you’re skeptical of any museum in the middle of nowhere. But the Fuller is one of a very few craft museums in the USA and they have some spectacular pieces including Native American fare. Check it out.
Or check out the
Concord Museum
and the National Heritage Museum, in Concord. I was especially impressed by the National Heritage Museum, which is run by the Masons, which should make everyone think of paranoid conspiracy theories of world domination. But when you go there, well, I found it to be sensational. They have some permanent exhibits about the Revolutionary War, and revolving exhibits that really zap you. Trust me I have been to many museums and they usually are OK but kinda yawn-y. This week’s recommendations are not.