Jan 9-18, 2011: Edgar Allan Poe, Thoreau, Lovecraft, Buckminster Fuller Re-enactments, Sci-Fi Convention, Gorillas, Martin Luther King, and Campfires
01/09/11 by
Johnny Monsarrat
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| The Week in Weird | ||||
| Mon 1/10Boston MetroFree movie preview tix for Green Hornet |
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| I’m giving away tickets to Green Hornet for Monday, Dec 10 in Boston. Email me at johnny@EVENTSinsider.com! :). Boston, MA. more |
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| Sat 1/15 – Sat 2/5Boston MetroR. Buckminster Fuller: The History (and Mystery) of the Universe |
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| And I have tickets to give away for the run of Buckminster Fuller! Bucky is re-enacted on stage and talks about science, invention, and his life story. Choose anytime January 14, 15,16. And one to join me as my guest for my press review Jan 19. Email me! Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St, Cambridge, MA. more |
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| Fri 1/14Boston MetroPoe: An Evening of the Macabre |
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| This is your big chance to meet Edgar Allan Poe, the spooky 19th century author! I’ve seen this re-enactor, and it’s a must see. He doesn’t perform very often — consider this worth changing your plans for. 7pm. Gore Estate, 52 Gore St, Waltham, MA. more |
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| Wed 1/19Boston MetroEdgar Allan Poe: Born in Boston |
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| It’s Poe’s 202nd birthday party at the Boston Public Library! This one features the same re-enactor as Poe, and a scholar, and bring a reading if you want to speak. 7-8pm. Boston Public Library, 700 Boylston St, Boston, MA. more |
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| Fri 1/14 – Mon 1/17Boston MetroArisia Fan Convention |
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| Not geeky enough? Try going to Arisia, the largest science fiction (and anime, and roleplaying, you get the idea) convention in New England. I guess they’re against posting up photos to entice you to come. They won’t have Poe, but they’ll have parties, panels, vendors, a costume ball. They’ll re-enact H.P. Lovecraft, do Rocky Horror (and the new thing, Repo: The Genetic Opera), and have a funny monologue about Shakepeare. See their entire calendar. Westin Waterfront Hotel, Boston, MA. more |
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| Thu 1/13Boston MetroGorillas to Grizzlies: Conservation in Action from Africa to the United States |
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| Also Poe-less, the Museum of National History at Harvard sponsors talks after hours, many of which are free. Here’s one on the preservation of gorillas in Rwanda. 6pm. HAH-vid Museem a’ Nat’ral Hist’ry, Cambridge, MA. more |
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| Sat 1/15All OverThe New England Manifesto! |
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| Are you glum about the weather? Wake up! New England is awesome and Californians are big winers. We’re not! We’re tough, tough like Vikings! Click through and see my annual New England Manifesto, a well-researched study of why Boston is the Hub of the Universe and we should stop being such stoic Yankees about being so. Boston is awesome! It’s ON, California!, Massachusetts!. more |
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| Mon 1/3 – Fri 1/28Boston MetroMIT IAP (Independent Activities Period) |
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| While most colleges shut down for winter break, MIT holds an entire month of creative classes, lectures, and special events, many of which are wonderfully weird and open to the public. I’ll highlight some of my favorites throughout the month, but you should really check their calendar!! MIT, Cambridge, MA.617-253-1000. more |
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| Sun 1/16Metro WestCivil Disobedience for MLK Day at Walden Pond |
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| He’s not Poe, but a re-enactor will be playing Henry David Thoreau, the american author who like Martin Luther King believed in civil disobedience! There’s a short walk and then hot chocolate in the art museum. 1-3pm. Walden Pond, Concord, MA.978-369-3254. more |
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| Mon 1/17Southeast MassMartin Luther King Day at Old Sturbridge Village |
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| Old Sturbridge Village will have an historical re-enactor, too — a whole town full of them! There’s an entire day of unusual lectures about slavery, plus of course OSV by itself is always worth a visit. 1 Old Sturbridge Village Road, Sturbridge, MA.508-347-3362. more |
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| Sun 1/16Boston MetroMartin Luther King Day Celebration at Harvard Square |
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| Harvard Square will have something pretty small, in a restaurant. Students will read the I Have a Dream Speech, and there’ll be poetry & unspecified “entertainment”. 4-5pm. Free and free refreshments. Fire + Ice, 50 Church St, Cambridge, MA. more |
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| Mon 1/17Boston MetroMartin Luther King Day Concerts |
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| Nobody seems to really “nail” Martin Luther King Day with a parade or fireworks or festival containing more than just speeches. But they’ll have some lectures at Faneuil Hall, with music. I’m pretty sure it’s outdoors. Faneuil Hall, Boston, MA. more |
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| Mon 1/17Boston MetroMartin Luther King Jr. Day of Service |
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| Gee, this one’s pretty interesting, too. This is not “grab a garbage bag, let’s go clean up the road”. It’s a genuine festival, held indoors, where you can mingle and volunteer at booths they call “project stations”. Reggie Lewis Center gymnasium, 1350 Tremont St., Roxbury, MA. more |
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| Mon 1/17Boston MetroMartin Luther King Day Open House at MFA |
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| Also, the MFA is free on Martin Luther King Day. Thanks! Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA. more |
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| Mon 1/17Southeast MassMartin Luther King Jr. Birthday at Battleship Cove |
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| It’s the world’s largest naval museum, with a real WWII battleship. They’ll play a film and run scavenger hunts. Fall River, MA. more |
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| Mon 1/17Metro WestWorld of Wellesley Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast |
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| I don’t really get this one, which is why I put it last. You eat breakfast and there’s a lecture by a famous new anchor. $25. Reserve in advance. 8:00-9:30a. Sun Life Financial, One Sun Life Executive Park, Building 3, Floor 1, Wellesley, MA.781-235-2739 or 781-237-5202. more |
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| Mon 1/17Boston MetroHappy Birthday to Ben Franklin: A Walking Tour Celebrating The Man |
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| Ben Franklin used to live in Boston. I think he invented the cotton gin! Or not. Maybe I should go on this tour and find out! Boston, MA. more |
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| Fri 1/14Metro WestFull Moon Owl Prowl |
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| I really want to see this!! It’s a night hike where you get to see owls in the wild. Broadmoor, 280 Eliot St, Natick, MA. more |
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| Sat 1/15Boston MetroOceanside Campfire |
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| This one’s interesting too. There’s a beach, there’s a campfire, there’s hot chocolate, and that’s it. 6-8pm. Kelly’s Roast Beef, Revere, MA. more |
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| Sun 1/16North ShoreAnnual Flax Ice Derby |
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| Have you ever wanted to try ice fishing? Me neither! But it would be cool to at least see it. Someplace with ice and fish, Lynn, MA. more |
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| Tue 1/11 – Tue 1/25Boston MetroIntro to Contra Dancing, with Live Folk Music |
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| Contra dancing is a social folk dance that’s easy to pick up! And there are a bunch of other dances on the calendar. 8pm. Student Center, Room 491, MIT, Cambridge, MA. more |
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| Wed 1/12Metro WestTour of Wallace Astrophysical Observatory |
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| I don’t know how open this one is to the wider community, but you’d better register immediately. It’s a tour of a telescope! And if you can’t get to Westford, they are offering rides. Westford, MA. more |
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| Fri 1/14Boston MetroMIT Mystery Hunt |
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| Even more geeky, which is saying something, is the MIT Mystery Hunt, which people from the Boston community can probably find a team to sneak into. Join a team that unpuzzles a clue path and spends all weekend chasing down the location of a hidden coin. My suggestion: shadow the hunt’s organizers as they hide the coin. MIT, Cambridge, MA. more |
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| Also Fun | ||||
| Fri 1/14 – Tue 1/18Boston MetroIntegration Bee |
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| You’d have to be a little loco to participate, but it might be fun to watch math wizards compete. MIT, Cambridge, MA. more |
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| Tue 1/18 – Thu 1/27Boston MetroChinese Yo-Yo Workshop |
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| Learn the yo-yo! Well, the Chinese yo-yo. I think there’s predates the yo-yos we’re used to. That would make it the Yo-Yo Ma! Ha ha, I crack myself up. MIT, Cambridge, MA. more |
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| Sun 1/16 – Mon 2/28WorcesterWinterfest Weekends at Fruitlands Museum | ||||
| 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 |
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| Sun 1/16New HampshireCampfire Dining |
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| How creative! Eight restaurants bring food samples to outdoor bonfires, and you snowshoe or cross-country ski in-between them. It’s a 2-hour drive from Boston. 11am-1pm. Eastman, Grantham, NH. more |
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| Sun 1/16Metro WestMoonlight Stroll |
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| I’d like to see this too, a full moon night hike. Rocky Woods, Hartford St, Medfield, MA. more |
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| Sat 1/15 – Sun 1/16Boston MetroGreater Boston Antiques Festival |
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| And if you have any cash left after buying holiday gifts, you can spend it on old stuff. Um, antiques. Shriner’s Auditorium, Wilmington, MA.781-862-4039. more |
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| Sat 1/15 – Sun 1/16North ShoreSteampunk Exhibit comes to Boston Antiques and Design Show |
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| The real reason to the antique show, though, is to see the museum display of steampunk artifacts! These are inspired by 19th century design with 20th century technology. Shriner’s Auditorium, Wilmington, MA. more |
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| Sun 1/9 – Sun 1/23Metro WestConcord Museum is Free |
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| The Concord museum is free on Sundays this month. Concord Museum, Concord, MA. more |
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| Sat 1/15North ShoreHuman Rights Watch International Film Festival at Salem |
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| This film festival will either be depressing or inspirational. Morse Auditorium Peabody Essex Museum, East India Square, 150 Essex St., Salem, MA.866-745-1876 / 978-745-9500. more |
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| Sat 1/15New HampshireNight Skiing & Fireworks at Cranmore |
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| Cranmore is open for skiing every Saturday night. Then Fireworks will light the skies at 7:30pm on Jan. 15, Jan. 29, Feb. 19, Feb. 26 and Mar. 12. Cranmore Mountain, North Conway, NH. more |
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| Sat 1/15Boston MetroWinter Volunteer Day at Franklin Park |
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| 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 |
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| Sun 1/16Boston MetroJapanese New Year |
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| Also, Asia is several times zones behind us, so they’re still celebrating New Years in Japan. Boston Children’s Museum, Boston, MA. more |
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| Performance | ||||
| Wed 1/12 – Fri 1/14Boston MetroThe Starship of Madness, a Doctor Who audio drama |
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| Wed, Jan 12, 8pm, at 6 William Street, Somerville, MA. Fri, Jan 14, at Arisia at the Westin in Boston. It’s the Roaring Twenties and science-fiction icon Doctor who meets writer H. P. Lovecraft in this stage show that re-enacts how a radio show would be produced. Although it’s not on their website, I confirmed that both shows are really happening. Various. more |
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| Sat 1/15Boston MetroJoyful Noise w/ the Harlem Gospel Choir | ||||
| I don’t normally list concerts, but this one’s more of a community event than most concerts. It’s traditional to stand, clap, and even join in. Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA. more |
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| Fri 1/14 – Fri 2/18Boston MetroAgent Spy at ImprovBoston |
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| Agent Spy is a thriller with secret agent chases and plent of adventure! They ask you to bring a cell phone to text in secret messages. ImprovBoston, Cambridge, MA. more |
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| Mon 1/17Boston MetroDr. Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute Concert |
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| A concert: it might be good! Two shows: 2pm and 6:45pm. Jordan Hall, Boston, MA. more |
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