3/8/10 – 3/17/10: St. Patrick’s Day, Re-enactments, Free Movie Previews, Author, LARP, Auto, Jewish Music, Maple Syrup, Chili, & Bacon Fests
03/08/10 by
Johnny Monsarrat
Apparently I’ll be giving out free movie previews weekly from now on. Email me to win. Also, join the Facebook group where I post the things I don’t want to bother the entire mailing list with. See this link to subscribe to email, Facebook, or Twitter and please tell your friends!
-Johnny
The Week in Weird |
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| Lincoln’s 2nd Inauguration and Presidential Ball | 3/13 | Southern Mass |
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| You can tell Spring is here because there’s plenty of weird this week — finally! First is a re-enactment of Abraham Lincoln’s second inauguration. Shows include a meal and are at 10am, 1pm, and 4pm. Call ahead for tickets. Will sell out. Good News Hall, 235 West Street, Attleboro, MA.508-226-8020. more |
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| Evacuation Day Ceremony (Revolutionary War) | 3/13 | Boston Metro |
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| Also a re-enactment, actors will dress up in revolutionary war costumes and re-enact the evacuation of Boston by loyalists as the revolutionaries were taking over. Dorchester Heights, Boston, MA.617-817-5862. more |
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| Annual Kerouac Birthday Celebration | 3/11 – 3/13 | Metro West |
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| Jack Kerouac, the 1950s American novelist who wrote “On the Road”, had some connection to Lowell and they’re doing a whole weekend to celebrate his birthday. Movies / book readings with discussions, live music, and more. It’s the first ALL-CAPS festival schedule I’ve ever seen. Quite painful to read. Lowell, MA. more |
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| Boston Cream Pi Fight | 3/14 | Boston Metro |
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| Gather at 1:30pm to smoosh whipped cream pies in each others faces, in celebration of the fact that the mathematical symbol “Pi” is 3.14159 and Today is March 14th (3/14). Yes, it’s completely silly. Bring a real pie or a whipped cream pie. Boston Common, at the Bandstand, Boston, MA. more |
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| Free Movie Previews This Week | 3/8 – 3/15 | Boston Metro |
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| I’ve got free movie preview tickets all this week: TONIGHT MONDAY Kick-Ass, TUESDAY see next entry, WEDNESDAY Remember Me, WEDNESDAY City Island, THURSDAY Our Family Wedding. All shows in Boston around 7:30pm but plan to arrive an hour early to get a seat. See the website for movie descriptions and email me to win. Boston, MA. more |
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| Boston Underground Film Festival Launch Party | 3/9 | Boston Metro |
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| The Boston Underground Film Festival doesn’t start for three weeks, but they’re showing trailers and giving out free food and beer and other stuff to build word-of-mouth. No ticket needed, just go and arrive early to get in. Woot! 6pm. Stuart Street Playhouse, 200 Stuart St, Boston, MA. more |
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| St. Patrick’s Day Parade – Boston | 3/14 | Boston Metro |
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| I can’t put it off any longer. Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! I’d love to see the parade. 1pm, from Broadway T stop (Thomas Park) to Andrew Square. West Broadway, South Boston, MA.617 268-7955. more more |
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| 501st New England Storm Troopers Garrison | 3/14 | Boston Metro |
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| Make sure to watch for the stormtroopers from Star Wars in the St. Patrick’s day Parade. Boston, MA. more |
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| South Boston’s St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast and “Roast | 3/14 | Boston Metro |
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| And there’s a “Roast” of local politicians, for anyone who’s both awake and not in church Sunday morning. Boston Convention & Exhibition Hall, 415 Summer Street, Boston, MA. more |
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| St. Patrick’s Day Parade – Scituate | 3/14 | South Shore |
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| Here’s another on the South Shore. Parade starts 1pm. Wait, the Irish have bagpipes? Scituate, MA.617 268-7955. more |
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| St. Patrick’s Day Parade – Worcester | 3/14 | Boston Metro |
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| And in Worcester. I love parades! Worcester, MA.508.753.7197. more |
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| St. Patrick’s Day Parade – Milford, CT | 3/13 | Connecticut |
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| And elsewhere. (Do I have any readers in Connecticut?). Milford, CT. more |
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| St. Patrick’s Day Parade – New Haven, CT | 3/14 | Connecticut |
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| Connecticut? Anyone? New Haven, CT. more |
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| St. Patrick’s Day Parade – Bridgeport, CT | 3/17 | Connecticut |
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| Anyone? Bueller? Bridgeport, CT. more |
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| H.P. Lovecraft Tribute Service | 3/14 | Rhode Island |
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| Another group is celebrating a famous author’s death anniversary. It’s H.P. Lovecraft, the creator of the Cthulhu Mythos. He was the famous 1920s horror author in-between Edgar Allan Poe and the guy who wrote Psycho. I went to this one year and it was nothing special, a bunch of goth types standing around reading bad poetry to each other. But, that was a while ago, so maybe they’ve changed it up. 3-4pm. Carl Johnson, carcosan@live.com. Ladd Observatory, 210 Doyle Avenue, Providence, RI.(401) 356-1381. more |
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| Atwood’s Tavern – Bacon Eating Contest | 3/13 | Boston Metro |
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| This is totally random and I love it. It’s a Bacon Eating Contest!!! Oh yea baby!! Bring on the bacon! 1pm. 877 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA.617-864-2792. more |
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| Sailing lecture, underwater Robots, Sea Chanteys @ MIT Museum | 3/12 | Boston Metro |
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| What’s better than bacon? Underwater robots? An adventurous sailor, Rich Wilson, will talk about his “legendary” racing achievements, and there will be a group singing sea chanties. But more importantly, the museum will be open and free, as it is every 2nd Friday of the month. 5-8pm, with the talk at 6:15pm. MIT Museum, Cambridge, MA. more |
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| InterCon (LARP) | 3/12 – 3/14 | Northern Mass |
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| Live roleplaying is a kind of theatre where there is no audience. The audience joins the cast for a massive improv drama that spans an entire hotel and can be comedy, drama, horror, mystery, fantasy, or any genre. It’s completely unique and this is the biggest and best convention in our region for LARPing. See the website and sign up for games in advance. Chelmsford, MA. more |
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| Indoor Beach Party @ Fitchburg | 3/12 – 3/13 | Metro West |
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| Perhaps you’d prefer something more active, like this beach party! It takes place at an indoor water park (heated all year long) and they’ll add live music. I’ve been to CoCo Key Water Resort and it’s really amazing, whether a festival is happening or not! Fitchburg Trade Center, Fitchburg, MA. more |
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| CoCo Key Water Resort at the Royal Plaza Hotel | 1/1 – 12/31 | Metro West |
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| This is the water park’s main website. Indoors, year-round water park. Medium-sized. Royal Plaza Hotel, 150 Royal Plaza Drive, Fitchburg, MA.978.342.7100. more |
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| Israel Folk Dance Festival of Boston | 3/13 – 3/14 | Boston Metro |
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| Even more activity can be found at the Israeli Folk Dance Festival. Last year it was participatory as well as a performance. This year they’re adding an ice cream party on March 13. Kresge Auditorium @ MIT, Cambridge, MA.617-253-2982. more |
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| Balkan Music Night | 3/13 | Boston Metro |
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| Replace Israeli with Balkan and you have this concert and participatory folk dance night, all in one evening. This is their annual big event. Friends of the Performing Arts in Concord (FOPAC), 51 Walden Street, Concord, MA. more |
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| Adult Spelling Bee – Brookline | 3/14 | Boston Metro |
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| And with no attempt at a segue — but at least I can spell segue! — They actually have a spelling bee for adults! It’s too late to sign up, but show up and root them on. There will also “bee” a children’s spelling contest. Brookline High School Auditorium, 115 Greenough Street, Brookline, MA. more |
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| World of Wheels | 3/12 – 3/14 | Boston Metro |
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| They’re also having a big car festival. I don’t normally list this big expo center commercial stuff, but they’ll have a roller derby exhibition and Henry Winkler (The Fonz from “Happy Days”) will be there and a lot of other random blue collar stuff. Boston Expo Center, 200 Mount Vernon Street, Boston, MA. more |
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Also Fun |
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| Boston Jewish Music Festival | 3/6 – 3/14 | Boston Metro |
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| 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 |
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| Taste of the South End | 3/9 | Boston Metro |
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| Here’s your chance to spend way, way too much money on food, all to benefit a charity. Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont Street, Boston, MA. more |
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| 9th Annual Poetry & Chili Festival | 3/13 | Cape Cod |
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| This one’s a poetry slam. With chili. Because nothing adds to a poem like “AAAH!! HOTT!! GET ME SOME WATER!!” 6:30-10:30pm. Cotuit Center for the Arts, Cotuit, MA.508-428-0669. more |
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| Blue Hills Maple Sugar Days | 3/13 – 3/14 | Boston Metro |
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| Why eat real food when you can soak up PURE SUGAR! It’s like heroin and may give you diabetes! Eat up that yummy maple sap. And go for a hike. 10am-4pm. Blue Hills Reservation, Canton, MA. more |
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| Mass Audubon’s Maple Sugaring Festival | 3/10 | Southern Mass |
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| Go eat maple syrup at this or any one of a number of events listed on the website. Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary, Sharon, MA. more |
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| Maple Syrup Boil Down Festival | 3/13 | Boston Metro |
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| Here’s one that’s both local and more of a real “festival”. 10am – 4pm. The Growing Center, 22 Vinal Ave., Somerville, MA. more |
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| Maple Day | 3/14 | Boston Metro |
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| Is this the same as the previous day’s festival?? This isn’t listed on the Growing Center website, and it’s from a December newsletter, so call to confirm. 10am-4pm. Waffles, music, kids’ activities, and syrup tasting. 22 Vinal Avenue, Somerville, MA.617-628-9988. more |
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| Sugar Maple 101 at Appleton Farms | 3/16 | North Shore |
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| This is your last chance to do some sugar mapling before the season ends. 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. 3:30-5pm. Appleton Farms, 219 County Road, Ipswich, MA. more |
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| Cabin Fever Festival | 3/13 | Metro West |
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| I pick out, from hundreds of park events, the ones that seem the most fun, just for you. This one involves guided trails, storytelling, and an open campfire. Rocky Woods, Medfield, MA.508.785.0339. more |
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| Best in Show” movie with veterinarian lecturer | 3/15 | Boston Metro |
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| The Coolidge holds dozens of “events”, which consist solely of showing a movie. This one they’ve added a real lecturer too. Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline, MA. more |
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| USS Constitution Museum Model Shipwright Guild Model Show | 2/16 – 3/20 | Boston Metro |
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| This model show is free, but they haven’t listed what times to go to actually meet some of the model builders and do a workshop. So, call. USS Constitution Museum, Charlestown Navy Yard, Building 22, Charlestown, MA.617-242-5670. more |
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| TourFest at PEM | 3/13 – 3/14 | North Shore |
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| This is a festival? The museum is open as usual, but they’ll give some tours. Well, the Peabody Essex Museum is worth a visit any day and the town of Salem is too! So, check it out. 10:30am-4pm. Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA. more |
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| King Pine Test Dummy Race | 3/14 | New Hampshire |
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| It’s getting warmer in Boston, but here’s the thing: way up in the mountains, it’s colder and there’s still snow. But people don’t think that way, so ski resort will do just about anything to draw in business. This one’s a race for crash test dummies. King Pine Mountain, Purity Spring Resort, NH. more |
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| Dummy Big Air Contest @ Mt. Sunapee | 3/14 | New Hampshire |
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| This place is doing it, too. Mt. Sunapee, Newbury, NH. more |
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| Daylight Savings Time Begins | 3/14 | Everywhere | ||
| And don’t forget to set your clock forward an hour at 2am this Sunday morning. Everywhere, Everywhere. |
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Performance |
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| Rogue Burlesque: “Talk Nerdy to Me” | 3/10 | Boston Metro |
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| Doors at 9pm. Show at 10pm. It’s burlesque, but it’s also sci-fi commentary. It looks like great fun if you’re the type! $5. Middlesex Lounge, 315 Massachusetts Ave, Cambrdige, MA.617-791-3993. more |
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| Dropkick Murphys | 3/12 – 3/17 | Boston Metro |
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| But this group is more well-known. And closer. House of Blues, Boston, MA. more |
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| Pendragon Celebrates St. Patrick’s Day | 3/14 | Rhode Island |
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| My favorite folk band is playing a St. Patty’s Day concert! Highly recommended. Blackstone River Theatre, 549 Broad Street, Cumberland, RI. more more |
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| SlamBoston | 3/15 – 3/17 | Boston Metro |
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| Between 6 and 9 ten-minute plays compete in a festival atmosphere. Looks interesting. Factory Theatre, Boston, MA. more |
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