Lion Dance; Free Pancakes & Ice Skating; Snow, Gaming, Travel, Comedy, Engineering & Flower Fests

02/16/10 by Johnny Monsarrat

I’m giving away some movie passes, see the first entry. Enjoy the snow! It might be the last of the winter.

Love this blog? Subscribe to email, Facebook, or Twitter.

-Johnny

The Week in Weird
Free Screening: Shutter Island	2/18	Boston Metro
I’m going to this pre-screening and have 2 more passes. Contact me to win ’em, johnny@weirdbostonevents.org. Shutter Island is the new thriller with Leonardo DiCaprio and. Regent Theatre near Fenway, Boston, MA. more
Chinese New Year Lion Dance Festival	2/21	Boston Metro
Chinatown events are poorly advertised (we’re lucky there’s a website), but I went once and expect there to be a full day of performances of music, dance, and martial arts. It’s wonderful, and free. 10am-5pm. Harrison Ave & Essex St, Boston, MA. more
IHOP National Pancake Day	2/23	Boston Metro
Also free are pancakes! Yummy yummy, pancakes. 7am to 10pm, any IHOP. Various IHOPs, such as 16 Eliot Street #18, Cambridge, MA. more
Frozen Fun Fest @ Chestnut Hill Reservation	2/21	Boston Metro
And truth in advertising, any festival at this time of year means getting frozen. Ice skating is free and they’ll have a guided hike. 2-4pm. Reilly Memorial Skating Rink, Cleveland Circle, Brighton, MA. more
Creature Feature & Nighttime Hike	2/20	North Shore
Even better is this nighttime hike. I bet it’s spooky. 6-7pm. Ravenswood Park, Gloucester, MA. more
Trailside Campfire on Lantern Loop Trail	2/18	Metro West
Nighttime skiing and hiking is also here west of Boston, with a campfire and games and stories. 5-6:30pm. 1018 Lowell Road, Carlisle, MA. more
Snow Day on Spectacle	2/20	Boston Metro
What’s better than traveling 90 minutes up to Gloucester for a snow festival? Taking a ferry out to the Boston Harbor Islands. Yes, you’ve got to be pretty hard core to go snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, or hiking on an island. Spectacle Island, Boston, MA. more
Model Engineering Show	2/20	Metro West
Personally I’d rather see the steam engines, aircraft engines, machinists tools, and trains at this engineer’s festival! 10am-4pm. Charles River Museum of Industry, 154 Moody Street, Waltham, MA. more more
Total Confusion	2/18 – 2/21	South Shore
Not part of the elite? Perhaps you’d like to visit the largest gaming convention in New England. It’s all about roleplaying, miniatures, and board games at Totalcon. Note, use Internet Explorer to view their website. Holiday Inn, Mansfield, MA. more
Rhode Island Spring Flower and Garden Show	2/18 – 2/21	Rhode Island
Gardens start in the Spring, so this trade show has to happen before Spring arrives. I haven’t been to this one, but the local flower show close to Boston was amazing, with so many huge floral dioramas. This may actually be worth checking out. Rhode Island Convention Center, 1 Sabin St, Providence, RI. more
Comedy Beanpot (competition)	2/24 – 2/27	Boston Metro
Local college troupes square off for Boston’s premier comedy title. Improv Boston, Cambridge, MA. more
Also Fun
Origami @ PEM	2/19	North Shore
Or make paper flowers at this origami day at the Peabody Essex, which is worth a visit any day! Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA. more
Owl Festival	2/19	Boston Metro
Conveniently scheduled when most of us are at work, but hey, it’s winter break for schoolkids (damn whippersnappers!), this seems to be a series of animal presentations… similar to what the museum does year ’round? Science Park, Boston, MA.617-723-2500. more
Boston Globe Travel Show	2/19 – 2/21	Boston Metro
If you’d like to travel but aren’t sure where to start, start here. I haven’t been but I bet it’s a real eye-opener about how to stretch your money, if you don’t need total luxury. And they’ll include celebrity chefs and live animal shows for God knows what reason. Seaport World Trade Center, Boston, MA. more
Recurring
Newport Winter Festival	2/12 – 2/21	Rhode Island
The Newport Winter Festival is a showcase of things that you can mainly find year-round. And it takes place at the normal venues across the city rather than in a central park. So is it really a festival? Well, a two-day children’s fair is embedded inside it, but otherwise, not really. They’ll have a Beatles tribute band, ice sculpting, scavenger hunt, and food cook-offs. Various venues, Newport, RI.401-847-7666. more
Snowshoe Scavenger Hunt	2/16 – 2/20	Metro West
Also educational, my favorite historical home that I haven’t actually been to yet is hosting a snowshoe scavenger hunt. I don’t even need to read a description, which is good, because one is not provided. Just go! 52 Gore Street, Waltham, MA.781-894-2798. more
Winter Campfires at Mass State Parks	2/5 – 2/19	Boston Metro
Even cooler are campfires on the beach. I really want to see this!! Hear campfire stories, roast marshmallows, and go for a beach walk. Constitution Beach 2/5, 6-8pm. Revere Beach 2/19, 6-8pm. Constitution Beach, Boston, MA. more
Performance
International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella – Quarterfinals	2/20 – 3/20	Metro West
If you love a capella music like I do, check this out. And there’s a separate concert at MIT on March 20. Brown University, then others, Various. more
Dracula on Valentine’s Day	2/12 – 2/27	Boston Metro
The original Dracula just wanted to buy some real estate and suck the blood from his realtor’s wife. Sounds like great payback for what the housing industry did to us all lately. 277 Broadway, Somerville, MA. more