Mar 7-15, 2011: Oceanside Campfire, St. Patrick’s Day Parades, Emerson, Kerouac, Lincoln, and Theatre Tix Giveaway & Reviews

03/07/11 by Johnny Monsarrat

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The Week in Weird
Fri 3/11 – Sun 3/13Boston MetroEducating Rita – tix giveaway
Rita is a hairdresser who discovers literature and gives her professor a lot more trouble than he bargained for! I have a pairs of tickets to give away for Friday, March 11 at 8pm and another for Sunday, March 13 at 7pm. Email me at johnny@EVENTSinsider.com and say which day you want. BU Theatre, 264 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA. more
Tue 3/8Boston MetroFree movie previews – Battle: Los Angeles, Paul, The Music Never Stopped, Jane Eyre
I have free movie preview tickets for Boston! Paul is a comedy by the team that made Superbad, Mon 3/7 at 4pm. Battle: Los Angeles has Aaron Eckhart and pits aliens against US Marines, Thu 3/10 at 7pm. The Music Never Stopped is a father/son drama with J.K. Simmons, Tue 3/15 at 7pm. Also Jane Eyre, Tue Mar 8 at 8pm at the MFA. Email me at johnny@EVENTSinsider.com and let me know what you want to win! AMC Boston Common Theatre, Boston, MA. more
Wed 3/9Boston MetroFiRE + iCE Revival – tix giveaway
FiRE + iCE, the restaurant in Harvard Square where you mix and match your own meal combination, has expanded with a brand new dance floor with a nightclub event they call Revival, Wednesdays 9pm-1am. The kitchen stays open, they have a full bar, and they focus on dance music: soul, funk, R&B, hip hop, and blues. (You can dance to the blues?) I have two pairs of tickets to give away for opening night, Wed Mar 9! Email me. 50 Church St, Cambridge, MA. more
Sat 3/12Boston MetroOceanside Campfire
I really want to see this! Enjoy the beach during the winter with this addition of a campfire and hot chocolate. Constitution Beach, 1 Trident St, Boston, MA. more more
Fri 3/11 – Sun 3/13Boston MetroPAX East
Also with a weak webite, PAX East is a videogames conference. So basically Arisia without the movies, anime, comic books, books, fan art, and board roleplaying. Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, 415 Summer St, Boston, MA. more
Sun 3/13Boston MetroSt. Patrick’s Day Parade – Worcester
There’s still a week to St. Patrick’s Day, but some people just can’t wait. For example, Worcester is having a parade. I love parades! Boy! You guys really need to add some information to your website like WHERE the parade is and WHEN it starts! I’m just sayin’. I’m pretty sure it’s at 12pm. Worcester, MA.508.753.7197. more more
Sat 3/12WorcesterRalph Waldo Emerson re-enacted
While you’re in Worcester, meet Thoreau, the famous New England poet and anti-slavery advocate, re-enacted by a true pro. Friends Meeting House, 901 Pleasant St, Worcester, MA.978-464-5146. more
Fri 3/11 – Sat 3/12Metro WestAnnual Kerouac Birthday Celebration
Also literary, Jack Kerouac, the 1950s American novelist who wrote “On the Road”, was born in Lowell and they’re doing a whole weekend to celebrate his birthday. Movies / book readings with discussions, live music, and more. The website is down but Google has the schedule cached. Lowell, MA. more
Sat 3/12Southeast MassLincoln’s 2nd Inauguration and Presidential Ball
This one’s the best re-enactment of all: Abraham Lincoln’s second inauguration. Shows include a meal and are at 1pm, and 4pm. Call ahead for tickets. Will sell out. It’s only $15 and includes dinner! Wow!! Hall, 235 West Street, Attleboro, MA.508-226-8020. more
Fri 3/11Metro WestRevolution on the Homefront
I love re-enactments! I guess you can tell. This one features Phebe Emerson Ripley (1741-1825) who will talk about everyday life in Concord during the American Revolutionary War. Held at The Old Manse, a historic home, it is bound to be exceptional. 7pm. The Old Manse, 269 Monument Street, Concord, MA.978-369-3909. more
Fri 3/11 – Sun 3/13Boston MetroIsraeli Folk Dance Festival of Boston
Although this seems to be a pure performance, not participatory, you can join in a Shabbat dinner Friday 3/11 or an ice cream mixer 3/12. Kresge Auditorium @ MIT, Cambridge, MA.617-253-2982. more
Fri 3/11Boston MetroChinese New Year Banquet
We’re not letting go of winter this week, or the Chinese New Year, which apparently continues, this time at the Boston Chinese Neighborhood Center, complete with a lion dance and food. Call immediately because they will sell out. 5:30pm reception and 7pm dinner. Empire Garden Restaurant, 690 Washington Street, Boston, MA.617-635-5129 x 1053. more
Tue 3/15Boston MetroNowruz Celebration – Persian New Year
This is a very multicultural week. As well as Israeli, Irish, and Chinese, here’s a Persian (i.e. Iranian) festival, with traditional food, drink, and a cultural program of Persian music and poetry. 5:15-6:45pm. Harvard University Barker Center, Thompson Room, Cambridge, MA. more
Fri 3/11 – Mon 3/14Boston MetroFree Craft Fridays and A Taste of Ireland
Makers are people who… make stuff! Like birdhouses with wings that flap, or a bicycle with a disco ball on a pole. Now there’s a local place to meet makers, and you can use their tools for FREE on Fridays, for metalworking, welding, wood, electronics, sewing and bicycle repair. But wait! That’s not all. They’re having an Irish whisky tasting and lecture on March 14. Be careful welding while drinking. :). 13 Joy St, Somerville MA. more more more
Sat 3/12Boston MetroOne-Day Workshop: Flameworking Marbles, Adult
You can make stuff at the MFA too, like marbles! Actual marbles! Or a suncatcher or a ring — maybe you can forge The One Ring to rule them all! Lots o’ workshops to choose from. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA. more
Sat 3/12Metro WestMad Science of Greater Boston
Speaking of making stuff, play and learn about dry ice in this interactive experimental event. 4-5pm. Medfield Public Library, 468 Main St, Medfield, MA.508-359-4544 x 8014. more
Sat 3/12Boston MetroMayor’s Cup at Frog Pond
This is the last week of the year for ice skating on Frog Pond, which has a chilled rink so you can still go if it’s not below freezing temperature. Their big end of the year celebration is this competition amongst the skating school students. Free and open to the public. 10am-12pm. Frog Pond Skating Rink, Boston Common, Boston, MA. more
Maple Sugaring
Sun 3/13Boston MetroMaple Festival at the South Shore Natural Science Center
Maple sugar events continue! See the entire process from trees to table and go on a woodland walk. 11am-4pm. They’ll have kids’ activities, too. 48 Jacobs Lane, Norwell, MA. (781) 659-2559. more
Sat 3/12 – Sun 3/13Boston MetroMaple Sugar Days at The Blue Hills
Why eat food when you can bathe in maple sap! It’s yummy but may give you diabetes! And go for a hike and ride the Maple Express Trolley. 10am-4pm. DCR Brookwood Farm, Milton, MA.(617) 698-1802 or (617) 333-0690. more
Thu 3/10Southeast MassTree to Table
Here’s another park with a similar event. I’ve never seen maple syrup tapped. I’d love to check it out! 10am. Moose Hill, 293 Moose Hill St, Sharon, MA. more
Tue 3/8North ShoreMeet the Sugar Maples
Ipswich is truly beautiful, if you visit Castle Hill and Crane Beach as well, and they punch in well above their weight small-town-wise with arts & culture. Too bad they scheduled it right when most of us are working. 3-4:30pm. Appleton Farms, 219 County Road, Ipswich, MA. more
Sat 3/12 – Sun 3/13ConnecticutHebron Maple Fest
And I finally found a maple sugar event that’s not tiny. Two hours from Boston, they’ll have a scavenger hunt, demonstrations of woodworking and blacksmithing, an ice cream eating contest, and a revolutionary war encampment. Hebron, CT. more
Also Fun
Thu 3/10Metro WestAbraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass
Uh, guys? If you want to call it a Black History Month event, you have to run it in February. Whatever. So, what is this event? It’s not described on the website. Maybe there will be a re-enactment, but a lecture is more likely. Wellesley Free Library, 520 Washington St, Wellesley, MA. more
Wed 3/9Boston MetroThere and Back Again: Deep-Sea Exploration to the Earth’s Most Extreme Habitats
While it’s still winter, you’ll have to be satisfied with lectures instead of festivals. There are some great ones though, like this free lecture about exploring the deep sea in search of new kinds of life. 6pm. Harvard Museum of Natural History, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA. more
Thu 3/10Boston MetroThe Evolution of Big-Game Hunting: Protein, Fat, or Politics?
And here’s another one at Harvard that suggests that our ancestors hunted big game for the bragging rights, not just for meat. Also free! 5:30pm, followed by a reception at the Peabody Museum. Harvard Museum of Natural History, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA. more
Sat 3/12Boston MetroThe Magnetic North: Notes from the Arctic Circle
And this one’s a book lecture about smashing through the Arctic Ocean with the crew of a Russian icebreake. Also free, but with museum admission. 2pm. Harvard Museum of Natural History, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA. more
Sat 3/12North ShoreIce Age Trail at Ravenswood Park
This is a lecture and guided walk showing evidence of the ice age on the trails. Bring your creationist buddies. Ravenswood Park, Gloucester, MA. more
Fri 3/4 – Thu 3/10North ShoreSalem Film Festival
This in an all-documentary film festival, and a ton of filmmakers will be attending, making this a real festival, not just a movie marathon. 1 Church Street, Salem, MA.978-744-1400. more
Sun 3/6 – Sun 3/20Boston MetroBoston Jewish Music Festival
Okay, you’ve got Turn, Turn, Turn, and Fiddler on the Roof, and, um… Gee, maybe I’d better go to this and learn about Jewish music! Various, Boston, MA. more
Tue 3/8WorcesterMardi Gras at Nick’s in Natick
A lot of local bars will hold a lame “Mardi Gras” event that’s basically — let’s get drunk! I try so hard to find one that’s creative, and this year I’ve found two. Although this is really a performance, this one’s a jazz band that encourages you to wear a 1920s costume and a mask! Nick’s, 124 Millbury Street, Worcester, MA. more
Tue 3/8Boston MetroTaste of the South End
Here’s your chance to spend way, way too much money on food, all to benefit a charity. What’s interesting is they have seemingly refused to give the TIME of the event on their website. Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont Street, Boston, MA.617-450-1526. more
Sun 3/13New HampshireDummy Big Air Contest at Mt. Sunapee
Even though it’s getting warmer in Boston, there’s still plenty of snow in New Hampshire! Here’s a fun event where home-built “dummies” get pushed down a slope. Mt. Sunapee, Newbury, NH. more
Sun 3/13EverywhereDaylight Savings Time Begins
And don’t forget to set your clock forward an hour at 2am this Sunday morning. Everywhere, Everywhere. more
Thu 3/10Boston MetroThe Crabby Cook Cookbook with Jessica Harper
Here’s another lecture, this time at the Boston Public Library. I don’t really get the idea of a “crabby” cook. I guess all the other adjectives were taken by other cooks, like The Happy Cook Who Rarely Finds Fault With Others and The Easygoing Cook Who Never Complains. A former movie star who’s worked with Woody Allen and Steve Martin, Jessica Harper I’m sure only pretends to be crabby while handing out witty and cleverly sarcastic kitchen ideas. That’s the angle, right? Boston Public Library, 700 Boylston St, Boston, MA. more
Sun 3/6 – Fri 3/18Boston MetroBoston Restaurant Week – Winter
This is a commercial promotion, not an event, but the winter is sparse, so we’ll take what we can get. Be warned, even at a discount, most of these restaurants are pricey, and you’re supposed to tip as though you’d paid for a full meal. Various, Boston, MA. more
Tue 3/8Boston MetroRestaurant Reviews
Did you know that Events INSIDER reviews restaurants? And we’re not crabby about it! Check out our reviews this week of Grendel’s Den, a tavern in Cambridge, and — SCOOP! — we do the first review ever of Thelonius Monkfish, which just opened, a pan-asian restaurant with jazz club aspirations, in Cambridge. Across Boston Metro, Cambridge, MA. more
Fri 3/4 – Sat 12/31Southeast Mass20,000 Leagues Under the Sea “Amusement Park
Have you ever gone to Tomb, the miniature amusement park near Fenway where you walk through an adventure (instead of riding in a car)? Well, it’s gone now. But they have two opening this week in Patriot Place, which is a mall right next to the New England Patriots’ football stadium, one with an under-the-sea theme and one with a spy theme. Patriot Place, Foxborough, MA. more
St. Patrick’s Day
Sat 3/12Southeast MassSt. Patrick’s Day at Patriot Place
Also at Patriot Place, which is a mall, there is a stage of dance and music performance. Does adding face painting make it a festival? I would say no. And it’s indoors. At a mall. But hey. I like stepdancing! :). Two Patriot Place, Foxborough, MA. more
Fri 3/11North ShoreThe Irish Experience at the Phillips House
The Phillips House is a historic home in Salem that has a number of educational tours all year. For St. Patrick’s Day, come and learn about the daily duties and living conditions of the family’s Irish domestic staff, circa 1919. 6:30-8:30pm. Registration in advance recommended. 34 Chestnut Street, Salem, MA.978-744-0440. more
Sun 3/13Boston MetroRas na hEireann: Irish Road Race
You race, you eat, you drink. There’s not a lot of creative splash to this event, despite the Irish language name. The Burren, 247 Elm Street, Somerville, MA. more
Sun 3/13Rhode IslandPendragon Celebrates St. Patrick’s Day
My new favorite folk band is playing a St. Patty’s Day concert! Highly recommended, even though they are also based in Rhode Island yet also seem unable to get themselves up to Boston Metro. Come on, guys, seriously. Some of us don’t have cars. Blackstone River Theatre, 549 Broad Street, Cumberland, RI. more more
Sat 3/12ConnecticutSt. Patrick’s Day Parade – Milford, CT
And you can find an early St. Patrick’s Day parade in Connecticut. (Do I have any readers in Connecticut?). Milford, CT. more
Sun 3/13ConnecticutSt. Patrick’s Day Parade – New Haven, CT
Connecticut? Anyone? Email me and encourage me to flesh out more events in your region of New England. New Haven, CT. more
Performance
Mon 3/14Boston MetroBreaking the Code
Celebrate Pi Day (3/14, get it?) with a staged reading of scenes from Breaking the Code, a play about Alan Turing, who broke German codes during WWII. It’s not just a performance — they’ll have an audience discussion afterwards. And it’s free! 265 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA.617-253-4444. more
Fri 3/4 – Sat 4/2Boston MetroReasons to be Pretty – review
This drama about the American obsession with beauty asks, “How much is ‘pretty’ worth?” Click for our review! Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street, Boston, MA. more our reviews!
Fri 3/4 – Sat 4/2Boston MetroPrometheus Bound – review
Have you heard of The Donkey Show, the sensational combination of Shakespeare and Disco Fever? The A.R.T. does it again with Prometheus Bound, a rock opera based on the ancient Greek play. Click for our review! Club Oberon, 2 Arrow St., Cambridge, MA. more   our review

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