Music, Train, Asian, & French Fests, Moby Dick, No Pants Prank, Chocolate Tour, & Breakdancing

01/07/10 by Johnny Monsarrat

The winter is pretty thin but it’s a great time to visit local museums and see shows. A few friends and I are going to the performance of Sleep No More on January 22 with the admission time of 7pm. Drop me a note if you’d like to join us for dinner beforehand.

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-Johnny

The Week in Weird
Boston No Pants Ride	1/10	Boston Metro
Every year the pranksters in Boston (and New York) ride the subway with only their underwear. Now that’s classy. You have to sign up to get the location. 12-2pm. Location TBA, Boston, MA. more
Boston Celtic Music Festival	1/8 – 1/9	Boston Metro
The Boston Celtic Music Festival is the first real festival of 2010! It takes place at several venues in Cambridge. There will be participatory dancing and singing as well as performance of dance and music. The festival looks great. Various Venues, Cambridge, MA. more
Wenham Museum’s Model Railroad and Hobby Show	1/9	North Shore
Also weird is this model train show. It doesn’t actually happen in the museum (which has a model train collection), but down the street at a local school, with 75 dealer tables. Snow date the next day. Buker School, School Street, Wenham, MA. more
Japanese New Year	1/9	North Shore
You should never need an excuse to visit Salem and the fantastic Peabody-Essex Museum. But Japanese drumming, calligraphy, woodblock printing, and more should get you there. East India Square, Salem, MA.978-745-9500. more
Asian Arts & Crafts	1/9	Boston Metro
Close to Boston, you can also find asian arts at MIT, as part of their month-long educational and cultural festival called IAP. MIT, Cambridge, MA. more
Old Food: Ancient and Medieval Cooking	1/11	Boston Metro
Also at MIT, try sampling seriously old-timey foods. To come, sign up immediately. MIT, Cambridge, MA. more
Chocolate Tour of Boston	1/10	Boston Metro
Or take a tour of all the Boston locales for chocolate. Meet at MIT Lobby 7, 12-4pm. Meet at 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA. more
Moby Dick – The Marathon	1/8 – 1/10	Southern Mass
Here’s a gem. People gather and listen to a nonstop reading of Herman Melville’s classic, Moby Dick. It takes 25 hours and there is a buffer and lecture beforehand. New Bedford Whaling Museum, New Bedford, MA. more
Fetes De Rois (Feast of the Kings)	1/9	Boston Metro
Centuries old French tradition, basically a party for kids, and they’ll have a cake and lots of French culture. There’s limited space, so RSVP. The French Library and Cultural Center, Boston, MA.617-912-0400. more
Winter Trails Day	1/9	Metro West
Winter Trails Day actually takes place across a number of dates, but the main event is free snoeshowing and free cross-country skiing at the Weston Ski Track. If there’s snow. Weston Ski Track @ the Martin Golf Course, Weston, MA. more
Also Fun
Free Film Fridays @ Museum of Science	1/8 – 1/29	Boston Metro
Sponsored by The Mathworks, the IMAX theatre at the Museum of Science is actually free several days in January. Sweet! Museum of Science, Boston, MA. more
Concord Museum is Free	1/10 – 1/24	Metro West
The Concord museum is also free. Concord Museum, Concord, MA. more
Mass Innovation Nights	1/13	Boston Metro
Last week I featured a local hobby club. Here’s another, dedicated to innovation and cool gadgets. IBM Innovation Center, Waltham, MA. more
Recurring Events
Breakdance Classes	1/4 – 1/27	Boston Metro
For example, you can learn to breakdance! I’ve been to this one and it’s really fun! MIT, Cambridge, MA. more
MIT IAP (Independent Activities Period)	1/4 – 1/29	Boston Metro
Over winter break, MIT holds a variety of classes, lectures, and special events, many of which are wonderfully weird and open to the public. Check their calendar. MIT, Cambridge, MA.617-253-1000. more
Sleep No More	10/8 – 2/7	Boston Metro
I hear this show is amazing. They’ve taken over an entire unused school in Brookline, and every room has a display and actors. You get to stroll from room to room interacting with everyone as the plot proceeds. Some School, Brookline, MA. more
Sleigh rides & smores at Point of View Farm	1/1 – 2/15	New Hampshire
Weekends through February, you can get a real sleigh ride in New Hampshire. 160 South Road, Deerfield, NH.603-463-7974. more
Kimball Farm Horse-Draw Sleigh Rides	1/1 – 2/15	Northern Mass
Or closer to Boston in Haverhill, MA, if there’s snow. Kimball Farm Corn Maze, 780 East Broadway, Haverhill, MA.978 521-3990. more
Performance
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)	1/7 – 1/16	Boston Metro
I’ve seen this play and it’s a hilarious comedy and parody of Shakespeare. They have a basically-free “pay what you can” preview on Jan 7. The Factory Theatre located, 791 Tremont Street, Boston, MA. more
Cappella Clausura	1/10	Boston Metro
And this one’s completely free and a good excuse to visit Forest Hills Cemetery. Forsyth Chapel, Forest Hills Cemetery, Boston, MA. more