May 4-12: George Romero, Robot Wars, Mothers Day Fests, Star Wars, Ren Faire, NASA’s New Head, and Open Studios

05/04/10 by Johnny Monsarrat

You’re in luck! The big event of the week happens to come today when I’m writing the blog. George Romero’s in town. Most of you are like, Who the Hell’s George Romero? And the others of you are like, OMG! George Romero! But to catch all the other last-minute stuff I get, that I don’t want to make an entire blog post about, you should really subscribe to email, Facebook, or Twitter. And please tell your friends!

-Johnny

The Week in Weird
George Romero will introduce a free preview of Survival of the Dead		5/6	Boston Metro
Holy Exploding Brains! George Romero, the film director who invented the zombie movie, will be at The Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, introducing a free preview of “Survival of the Dead”. Its free and there are no tickets. Just show up. But they’ll most likely fill up, so although the film starts at 10:30pm, plan to be there by 8:30pm. Say hi. I’ll be the super tall guy. I have to confess, I’ve never seen his films and I don’t care for gorey movies. But I love the genre concept and hey, when somebody this famous comes to town, just go. Brattle Theatre, Cambridge, MA. more
MIT 2.007 Robot Engineering Competition		5/5 – 5/6	Boston Metro
Speaking of world takeover, come see the forefront of robotics at this MIT mechanical engineering competition. Students build clever devices and race them side by side. Wed & Thu 6-11pm. MIT, Johnson Ice Rink, Cambridge, MA. more
Free Movie Previews: Letters to Juliet & Iron Man 2		5/6	Boston Metro
Incredibly, I’ve managed to finagle tickets faster than people have asked for them for the free Iron Man 2 preview on Thursday. I still have 2 left. And nobody wanted to see Letters to Juliet yet, so I have a bunch of those for 5/9 at 3pm. Now would be a good time to join the Weird Boston Events Facebook group or Twitter. AMC Boston Common, Boston, MA. more
Lilac Sunday at the Arnold Arboretum		5/9	Boston Metro
Let’s change it up to something softer for Mothers Day. Don’t just take mom to a restaurant! There’s so much more going on! Lilac Sunday is the perfect way to ring in the Spring. The Arnold Arboretum, run by Harvard, is not just a park but a botanical zoo, and the dancing and singing is very worthwhile. Morris dancing, 10am to 4pm. Center St Gate. Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Jamaica Plain, MA.617-524-1718 ext- 176. more
Mothers Day & Carousel on the Kennedy Greenway		5/8	Boston Metro
You’ve heard of the new park in Boston: the Kennedy Greenway. Here’s your chance to hang out there and bring mom too. 10:30am-3pm. Ballet performances and dance lessons, live music, and what appear to be some vendors doing “giveaways”. Kennedy Greenway, Boston, MA. more
SCA May Day – Medeival Re-enactment		5/9	Metro West
The Society for Creative Anachronism will try to place you in the middle ages with a re-enactment of fencing, fighting, dance, and food. They only have a couple of events a year in metro Boston, so check it out! 10am-10pm. Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, MA. more
Armor Show & Legio III Cyrenaica Roman Legion		5/8	Worcester
I’ve been to the Higgins and it’s very impressive. You really should go when they’re doing something fun like this Roman Legion re-enactment and armor show. And they’re doing a LOT of great re-enactments all summer, too, so you have plenty of excuses to go. Higgins Armory, 100 Barber Ave, Worcester, MA.508-853-6015. more
501st v. LazerGate		5/8	Southern Mass
What’s better than playing Laser Tag for charity? Doing it with a bunch of nerds dressed up like Star Wars stormtroopers! I kid you not. Geez, Johnny, how do you find this stuff, you ask. I have no idea. Mainly God tells me when I dream. He’s all, like, Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbors Wife, and then he’s all like, Hey, Guess What’s Happening at the Laser Tag Center on Saturday? 288 Plymouth Avenue, Fall River, MA. more more
Hub of the Universe – Launch Party with Shriiimp		5/8 – 5/9	Boston Metro
Not weird enough? What am I, your dance monkey? OK, I guess I kind of am. How about this? Here’s a party featuring Shriiimp, the artists who draw graffiti style on nude or partly clad women. The website doesn’t mention Shriiimp, but I confirmed this with the rep. The Great Room at the W Hotel, Boston, MA. more more
Zehara Nachash Presents: Kalliope’s Karavan		5/7	Boston Metro
And this event takes the sexy / burlesque / theatre concept and extends it to entire circus show. I’ve been and it’s truly amazing. Magicians, escape artists, and carnival booths, all in one YMCA! 8-10pm. YMCA Theatre, 820 Mass. Ave., Cambridge, MA. more
Fresh Pond Day		5/8	Boston Metro
Can I say something? Cambridge has its own water supply, so we weren’t bothered at all by the recent water contamination. Go tour local trails or the water treatment plant and say thank you! 10am-2pm. fpr@cambridgema.gov. 250 Fresh Pond Parkway, Cambridge, MA. more
Primal Scream at Harvard		5/6	Boston Metro
Of course, Cambridge is also awesome because twice a year, at midnight before final exams, hundreds of Harvard students who have not heard of the Internet and don’t care about their future political careers will gather naked on Harvard Yard to release their tension in a huge scream. It’s always at midnight on the last night of reading period and the night before the first final exams. Harvard Yard, Cambridge, MA.
Life and Colony Size Among the Ants		5/11	Boston Metro
And maybe you’ll be like, “Hey, don’t I recognize you?” to some of the Harvard students 5 days later at this lecture on how ants are really this superspecies where a colony is really one giant organism. 7pm. Harvard Museum of Natural History, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA. more
The Future of Space Flight		5/10	Boston Metro
Let’s face it, when the head of NASA comes to town, that kicks Ant Guy’s butt. The JFK Library apparently decided to hide this event on their website, which doesn’t even have a calendar that I could find. But I confirmed it somehow, I forget. Oh wait, I found it. I guess they think the word “Forums” means something to visitors, like “Hey, click on this! There’s events under this link! John F. Kennedy Library and Museum, Boston, MA. more
Cambridge Open Studios – East		5/8 – 5/9	Boston Metro
Cambridge is large enough that they need more than one open studios. This one’s for East Cambridge. And they have a bike tour, too! 12-6pm. Various (get a map online), Cambridge, MA. more
West Medford Open Studios		5/8 – 5/9	Boston Metro
And West Medford also has an event where you can walk around town meeting real artists, not just their merchants, at their private homes and work studios. Maybe you’ll buy something for mothers day! 12pm-5pm. Medford, MA. more
Fort Point Spring Art Walk		5/7 – 5/9	Boston Metro
Fort Point has enough artists that they want three open studios a year. Here’s the first one. Basically, you walk around and visit the studios of local artists and get to meet them and see (and possibly buy) their work. Friday 4-7pm, Sat & Sun 12-5pm. Get a map, Boston, MA. more
Kettle of Fish” Ale		5/8	South Shore
If you can’t make it to Lilac Sunday, check out this “Ale”, which means festival in old-timey speak, featuring morris dancing, a kind of folk dancing. But will there be a pole!! 10am-12 Christopher Columbus Park, 12:45-1:45 Kennedy Greenway, 3-4:30 Boston Common, 5:30-10:30 Arlington Senior Center. Christopher Columbus Park & Various, Boston, MA.617-710-2299. more
Sholan Farms Apple Blossom Festival		5/8	Northern Mass
There’s another farm festival out west on Route 2. They’ll have a “butterfly release parade”, hay rides, a craft show, a petting zoo, civil war re-enactment etc. I’ve actually been to this one and it was remarkable! No really, they’ve done a great job turning a small venue into a big event. Rain date is 7 days later. 10am-4pm. Sholan Farms, 1125 Pleasant St., Leominster, MA.978-840-3276. more
Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower		5/6	Metro West
Somewhere out West would be a good place to get away from city lights and view this minor meteor shower. Somewhere without lights, like a pond or open field, Away from the City. more more
City of Cambridge Holocaust Commemoration @ Temple Beth Shalom		5/4	Boston Metro
It’s not weird, and it’s not fun, but it needs to be listed, and remembered. It’s free, there will be music and speeches, you’ll no doubt be woken up to the things we take for granted in the new millenium. Cambridge, MA. more
Also Fun
Moms at the Manse Weekend		5/8 – 5/9	Metro West
The Old Manse is playing the same trick with a free tour and concert which is not very well described, but just go. 269 Monument Street, Concord, MA.978-369-3909. more
Free Mother’s Day at Old Sturbridge Village		5/9	Worcester
I think I’d prefer to go to OSV, the re-enactment village, which is awesome any time of year and is free for moms this Sunday. Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge, MA. more
Mother’s Day Buffet @ Verrill Farm		5/9	Metro West
Verrill Farm is having a buffet with live music. I don’t know if they have the usual farm stuff like a petting zoo and hay rides. I would guess most likely yes. It’s their first outdoor festival of the season. 11 Wheeler Road, Concord, MA.978-369-4494. more
Sheep Shearing Day		5/8	Rhode Island
I’ve always wanted to visit when they’re shearing sheep. Maybe mom would like that. No really. This working farm is open to the public. 12-4pm. Watson Farm, Jamestown, RI. more
Draft Horse Plow Match @ Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm		5/8	North Shore
This one looks bigger. See how draft horses are harnessed, sheep are sheared, and metal is worked. They’ll have hay rides too. 2009: 11am-4pm. 5 Little’s Lane, Newbury, MA.978-462-2634. more
Rockin’ in the Park		5/8	South Shore
Much better to get a guided tour led by a geologist! Mom might like that. Call to pre-register. Great Blue Hills, Canton, MA.617-698-1802 x213. more
Dance Complex Free Day of Classes		5/9	Boston Metro
A local dance studio has free 20-minute classes all day. What can you learn in 20 minutes? Well, maybe you’ll be inspired to pay for more classes! They were too lazy to list their own PR stunt on their website, but I called to confirm. 1-5pm. 536 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA.617-547-9363. more
Lawrence Rec. Carnival		5/5 – 5/9	Lowell
The Fiesta Shows traveling carnivals continue. Lawrence Common, Lawrence, MA. more
Boys & Girls Club Carnival		5/5 – 5/9	North Shore
And this one. Basically, both events seem to be the rides and nothing more. Showcase Cinemas, Woburn, MA. more
Cinco de Mayo Children’s Festival		5/5	Western Mass
Please don’t just sit in a bar on your butt for Cinco de Mayo. If you want to celebrate, well, this is the only event I found that’s creative. It features a parade for kids. This is all I could find, sorry. Turners Falls, MA. more
Make Way for Ducklings Parade		5/9	Boston Metro
This one is clearly the kids event of the week though. Kids dress up like ducklings and marching, as in the children’s book. 2009: Registration starts at 10am. Then parade at 12pm. Boston Common at the Shaw Memorial, just below the State House., Boston, MA.617-723-8144. more
Ancient Fishweir Project – Wampanoag Nation Singers & Dancers		5/6 – 6/7	Boston Metro
Also on Boston Common, near Charles Street, is this native american indian fish trapping device placed in tidal flats. This seems really interesting until you go and discover it’s just a bunch of sticks. Boston Common, Boston, MA. more
The Boston 48 Hour Film Project		4/30 – 5/11	Boston Metro
They give filmmakers 48 hours to create a film from start to finish. Perhaps one of the participants could be you! screenings are May 4-6 and May 11. Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA. more
Annual Boston Gay and Lesbian Film/Video Festival		5/6 – 5/16	Boston Metro
Here’s another film festival. I beg you, do something outdoorsy this weekend. Haven’t you been waiting all winter to get out?? MFA, Boston, MA. more
SMFA Spring Sidewalk Sale		5/7 – 5/8	Boston Metro
And you probably shouldn’t go to this, either, to buy art from students, unless you really don’t want to walk one of the wonderful open studios this weekend. Boston, MA. more

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