I do feel a little silly writing up the weekend with only 11 livejournal friends. If you like what you see, please spread the word. :)
I went to King Richard's Faire over the weekend and I have to say that it was a disappointment. Apparently they pay their performers very little and the juggling, comedy, and music routines were not worth seeing. Shopping for pewter dragons and wizards is not really my thing, and the food was expensive and bad. Considering that admission is $24 I had really hoped for more, although the jousting tournament was fun as usual and I enjoyed Etienne the comedian.
NEMO and the Big E continue this weekend.
This weekend is the
Roxbury Open Studios, Oct 1-2, Roxbury MA, a local show where artists open up their private homes and art studios to the public. Most of the art is for sale, so it benefits local artists and it's a fun way to spend the day walking around the neighborhood. Unfortunately in this case the neighborhood is Roxbury, and since there are so many other open studios year 'round I would give this event only a secondary recommendation.
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Also this weekend is the
National Cranberry Festival, Oct 1,2,8,9, and 10 in Carver, MA, which takes place at Edaville Railroad. I haven't been to either but I'm sure it's worth half a day if you have something else to do in the area. Edaville seems to be mainly a kids thing but take a train ride at Edaville and enjoy the scenery, especially if you do it next weekened as the trees are starting to turn fall colors. Or combine your visit with a trip to Plimoth Plantation or King Richard's Faire.
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The best thing going on this weekend is the
Made in Massachusetts Festival at Old Sturbridge Village, Oct 1-2 in Sturbidge, MA. If you haven't been to Sturbridge Village I highly recommend it. It's a recreation town of 19th century New England living, with live actors who show you craftmaking, farming, blacksmithing. It's education and deeply interesting, and there are plenty of indoor activities to shelter you from cold weather. In fact the place is open year 'round so it's a good wintry thing to do. This seems to be one of their 2-3 big festivals a year.
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This weekend is also the opening of the
Topsfield Fair, Sep 30-Oct 10, Topsfield, MA, my favorite local agricultural fair. Unlike the Big E, they have every kind of imaginable animal. And while the crafts and vendor tables are hokey they are all small mom & pop organizations you can root for. See a demonstration of wood carving, meet carnivorous birds, go on some cheesy carnival rides. Traffic can be tricky (unlike the Marshfield Fair where we got parking immediately) so go early. This sort of event you don't go because you love the farm lifestyle, you go because others love the farm lifestyle and you can get a taste of their culture. Highly recommended.
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This week's bonus activitiy is
Apple Picking at Davis Farmland and MegaMaze, Sterling, MA. Davis Farmland is New England's third largest amusement park, which is to say it's not that big after Canobie Lake Park and Six Flags New England. But they have a petting zoo, hay rides, a water spray park, apple picking, and New England's largest maze, which is a corn field maze. You really can't go wrong visiting Davis Farmland, but it is only a half-day activity so plan to visit nearby
Wachusett Mountain for hiking as well. Other apple and berry picking places in New England include Connors Farm in Danvers, Lookout Farm in Natick, Smolak Farms in North Andover, and Berlin Orchards in Berlin, MA. If you want the full list of places, check out www.pickyourown.org/massstraw.htm. Buy a cider press and have your own party.
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Recently I went to
Battleship Cove in Fall River, MA, which is a real World War II battleship. They have a submarine and some other war boats too, and you can walk around getting a more visceral sense for war than just reading about it. One word came to mind: nookie. I mean, there are literally hundreds of bunks there, and the boats are full of out-of-the-way areas for a little passion. And what better way to celebrate the lives of naval servicemen, many of whom tried to sneak a woman on board the ship in times past. Also, I learned that they hold sleepover parties, I mean, camping overnight where you get to sleep in the bunks. Is that fun or what. Battleship Cove only takes 2-3 hours so while you're there, but there is a railroad museum and a carousel immediately nearby, and it's yet another great excuse to visit nearby Newport, RI. Battleship Cove gives a $2 AAA discount. Just keep that AAA card in your wallet at all times, ok?
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Last night, I went to
Jimmy Tingle's Off-Broadway, Somerville, which is possibly the most advertised comedy club in Metro Boston. Jimmy is an ex-TV-star and did his own show. The political discourse was deep and insightful. The comedy was pretty funny. Unfortunately the show. The American Dream, was about 70% political discourse, and it's hard to build a critical mass of laughs with an audience of only 30 people and the jokes sprinkled with references to terrorism, natural disaster, and torture. It was OK and I'm sure other comedy nights are worth checking out, unlike Dick Doherty's Comedy Stop which had a night of standup comedians that I really regretted going to. Sign up on his mailing list and you get a buy-1-get-one-free discount.
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I did visit the
Big E, the Eastern States Exposition and it was worth the 2 hour trip west. Parking costs $5 but the show itself is inexpensive and the Circus and Horse Show are free so basically that pays for itself. There are tons of vendors selling every crap "As Seen on TV" product you can imagine, there is a carnival that is only moderately overpriced but a huge slide that is only $1.50. Surprisingly, beyond the horse show, they only had one stable area for sheep and other livestock. I think I was expecting a larger variety of animals. And the show is easily do-able in only 4 hours. I think I would find it hard to spend more than a day there. So while you're out west, combine it with some other Springfield attraction.
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This weekend is the Three Apples Storytelling Festival, Sep 24-25 in Harvard, MA. It sounds like it's just for kids, but go Saturday evening and it's quite an experience. I've been and I was really surprised how the storytellers integrated theater and crowd participation to add to their tales. Sunday is just for taking classes, so don't go then.
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This weekend is also the
Aviation Heritage Festival, Sep 24-25, in Nashua, NH. I don't know much about this event but it appears to be an airshow, the only one I know of that's semi-local. The last airshow I went to in NY was really interesting, well worth the visit.
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My favorite event for the weekend is the
Jamaica Plain Open Studios, Sep 24-25 in Jamaica Plain. Local artists open their homes to the public, so you can wander through and get some local flavor and possibly buy. While you're there, make sure to go to The North American Indian Center of Boston Pow Wow. It's the only pow-wow that's genuinely in the metro area and takes place at a local museum at 105 South Huntington Ave. 617-232-0343.
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A similiar event is the
Central Square World's Fair, Sep 25th in Central Square, Cambridge. They do this a few times a year and keep calling it different names. Basically they close off Massachusetts Avenue and you can stroll around seeing various vendors. 12-6pm.
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For music lovers, this weekend is also the
Boston Folk Festival, featuring Suzanne Vega on Saturday Night. It takes place at at UMass Boston. I've been to a number of folk festivals, not this one but it appears to be worth the trip. Expect a number of hokey vendors selling food and crafts, and some really good performers that you'll need to plan a little in advance to see.
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For serious music lovers, the Boston professional trade show for musicians is happening, called the
NEMO Music Festival, Sep 29-Oct 2. There are two parts to this. First, the industry trade show at Boston Center for the Arts, which won't interest you unless you've got your own band and you're looking for talent scouts. What's more interesting is you buy one $50 wristband and go to various venues around Boston seeing the bands that are playing their heart out hoping to get discovered. Go in a suit and pretend to have "connections" and you might just get laid.
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Finally, I have to say that I always ignore food events, but check out the
Phantom Gourmet Food Festival, Sep 24. 11-4pm, Landsdowne St. next to Fenway Park. $25 and sample food from 30 restaurants. I don't normally even read "tastings" ads but the Phantom Gourmet is a good judge, I would try this one. Besides, yum, I'm hungry.
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I always try to add a wildcard, and this week it's
Stargazing @ BU Coit Observatory. I went yesterday and it was mildly interesting to see blobs through telescopes and try to pick out constellations through the city glow of Boston's Skyline. The good news is that it happens regularly, every Wednesday 8:30-9:30 Apr-Oct, else 7:30-8:30 winter. So you can go on a night when you've nothing else to do. Make sure to call ahead because they'll close due to cloudy or rainy weather.
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A lot is happening! This weekend is the
Big E, or Eastern States Exposition, Sep 16 - Oct 2, West Springfield, MA. It's like many of the local agricultural faires but it's way out west and huge. Over 1.1 million people attend, and they have a circus and rock stars and it's just big big big. I've never gone but I may go tomorrow and will report! Rt 90W to exit 4. Rt 5S. 10am-10pm daily. Circus daily 1,4,7pm. Mardi gras parades M-F 7:30, SS 5pm. Ninth largest fair in USA.
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Also, check out the AltWheels Transportation Festival, Sep 17-18 in Brookline. Basically any crazy-ass solar powered, hydrogen fueled, 8-wheeled, Inspector Gadget or Batmobile car will be on display. I haven't attended but the Larz Anderson Auto Museum is worth seeing for its own sake.
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This weekend is the South End Open Studios as well. Open studios are when local artists throw open their homes and private studios to the public. It's a nice way to wander around and appreciate local art, and everything's on sale so it helps the art community, too. Every community around Boston has one, so it's not like this is your only opportunity to go to an open studio.
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If you are a do-gooder, this would be a nice time to sign up for the American Heart Walk, Sep 17 or the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk, Sep 18. The idea is not to pester your friends and colleagues for cash until they slap you sideways. The idea is to bring a friend and just chat and meet other do-gooders and feel like you're part of the solution.
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I have to confess that I always thought that the
Taste of Boston 2005 was a cheesy marketing event. Until I realized that your $1 admission to taste food goes to charity. Maybe I'll check this out. Why not. City Hall Plaza. Sat 11-6, Sun 12-6.
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And next Thursday is
Revels RiverSing, Sep 22. I don't know much about this, but apparently thousands come. You get to join in some singing in a huge volunteer chorus that spans the Charles River across the Weeks footbridge. (That's the lil' bridge you cannot drive over near JFK Street, Cambridge). 6-7:30pm. Bring a flashlight.
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Would someone please help me learn more about the
August Moon Festival, Chinatown, September 18th? I've been trying to get information on this event but it is not really advertised. I imagine there may be a parade of lots of street vendors? I have head vaguely that it is really cool and worth checking out. See www.pekingtom.com for a Sep 17th dinner opportunity.
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It's still summer! Check out one of Massachusetts great state parks, like the
Great Brook State Park, Carlisle, MA, where they have an ice cream stand and a kiddie zoo. Or the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, where they have canoeing, trails, and "bouldering", whatever that is. Better yet, check the website and go at a time when they are doing an event, like birdwatching or guided nature trail walk or fall foliage description and nature talk.
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You want more? What, nothing grabbed from from all the stuff above? Fine. Animal lovers of the world, check out the
Long Hollow Bison Farm in Springfield . Hey you are going to the Big E out west anyway, right? Or check out Wolf Hollow Preserve, Ipswich or The Butterfly Place, Westford. Yes, they have real bison, wolves, butterflies. I haven't been to these but they sounds really cool. Small attractions like these are best when combined with visiting something else in the area.
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A lot of smaller stuff is happening this weekend, but I always try to include at least one highly recommend event each week. This week I recommend Canoeing & Kayaking, which you can do on the Charles River from convenience spot in Newton. Hey, you think the warm weather is going to last forever? Various state parks also let you rent canoes, in fact I recommend the Boston Harbor Islands as a great getaway. You can take the ferry out there or kayak. Highly recommended.
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So, on to the smaller stuff. This week is the Brimfield Antiques Fair, Sep 6-11, in Brimfield, MA, which is the largest antiques festival in the area. Don't fret if you miss it, because they hold it three times a year. If you're really going to drive way out to Western Massachusetts, stop by Mass MOCA or Six Flags New England.
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Also coming up is the
Boston Arts Festival, Sep 10-11. I've never been but expect a number of performances including a lot of classical and jazz, but also dance and theater and possibly some younger generation pop, and some wacky stuff like martial arts demonstrations. It's one of those things where you just have to read the calendar of events beforehand and decide for yourself what's worth seeing. A little like First Night Boston.
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This Sunday is the
Jamaica Plain World's Fair, Sep 11. They'll be opening up a street to arts vendors and have kids events and live music. A nice place to go for a stroll, I love it when they do this stuff in Cambridge, where I live.
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Also this weekend is the
Boston Gift Show, Sep 10-13, which happens twice a year. I've also never been to this one but it sounds it's like to shoppers what a nudist beach is to nudists. Heaven. Someday I'll go just to see if it's cheesy or not. Seriously, people, taking up valuable convention space with what's basically a mall?
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Then next week is
The Boston International Comedy & Movie Festival, Sep 12-17, which I've wanted to go to for some time. There isn't a centralized festival grounds, it's more like a week of comedy competitions and some big names like Lewis Black at various comedy clubs throughout the city.
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If anyone is reading this, it would be nice to know. And please put something in your livejournal and spread the news to others. :)
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Tomorrow is a major Native American Pow-wow, the Seakonke Wampanoag Tride Annual Pow-wow in Rehoboth, MA, Sep 2-4. It's been hard to get information about this, but contact me for directions if you plan to go. There are several throughout the year but this is the largest I believe. I've never been to one of these before but it's basically a cultural fair with dancing and because it's poorly advertised it's likely to be very real and not commercial. I even met the guy running it on Yahoo IM and I hope to see him in person there. The website has a bunch of other local pow-wows.
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This weekend is also the opening of King Richard's Faire in Carver, MA, Sep 3-Oct 23. It's a renaissance festival and everyone in my friend group probably already knows about it. What you don't know though is that there's a Cranberry Festival or two in October, so if you are traveling down to Carver MA anyway, why not attend both on the same day? Other hints, it is good to sneak in your own food, and figure out what you want to see ahead of time. Residents of Carver, MA get free admission, and you can often find coupons, check AAA, etc.
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Also this weekend is the Newport Waterfront Irish Festival, Sept 3-5, in Newport RI. You want my advice? It's probably only barely worth going to, but if you're going to go to Newport anyway -- and you should! A great excuse to go. See last week's post.
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It's also not too late in the year to go skinnydipping. Last year I went as late as September 30th, it wasn't that cold, don't be a wuss! You just have to dry off quickly. Hey, we New Englanders have to stretch the summer as far as it will go. I just went on Sunday and it was fantastic. I shouldn't post publicly about this but contact me privately for ideas on where to go. Don't forget the bug spray, towels, blanket, and flashlight. And obviously, drinking and swimming don't mix.
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