April 2014 – Salem Happenings

Blinded by Science

There’s a pretty good chance that you’ve heard the expression “blinded by science” somewhere. In fact, if you were around during the 80’s, you may have heard the song by Thomas Dolby entitled “She Blinded Me With Science” or the Foreigner song entitled “Blinded by Science.” You may have even heard the song or the phrase more recently in well-known shows like Breaking Bad or the Crazy Ones. However, even if you are familiar with the expression, have you ever stopped to figure out what it means? Well, if you haven’t, the expression “blinded by science” refers to the act of using a series of complicated concepts (or, at least, concepts that appear to be complicated) to intentionally confuse someone. In other words, if you are “blinding someone with science,” you are using your scientific knowledge (or your skill at making stuff up) to leave someone completely baffled.

Now, if you would like to have the scientific knowledge to blind someone with science or you enjoy when other people blind you with science, there are a couple of events this weekend that you should definitely check out. First, the MIT Museum, in collaboration with a number of local businesses, educational institutions, and community organizations, is hosting the Cambridge Science Festival. This festival, which began last weekend and runs until this Sunday (April 27, 2014), will allow you and your family to attend a series of activities, performances, and workshops to learn about holograms, math, optics, space, and a whole lot more. For more information on the festival and/or to register for a specific event, please visit the MIT Museum website or the Cambridge Science Festival website.

Secondly, if you can’t make it into the city until later and/or you’ve always wanted to learn more about the stars, the Museum of Science has the program for you. This is because the Museum of Science offers a special program on Friday nights from the beginning of March to Thanksgiving called Astronomy After Hours. This program, which runs from 8:30 to 10:00 PM every Friday (weather permitting), will allow you and your family to see stars, planets, and all of the other wonders of space through the equipment at the Gilliland Observatory. Best of all, the program is open to the public and is completely free. For more information on the Astronomy After Hours program, please visit the Museum of Science website or call the Astronomy After Hours hotline at 617-589-0267.

Photo credit: jurvetson / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

Catch the Rabbit!

Peter Rabbit, Bugs Bunny, The White Rabbit. There has never been a shortage of hard-to-catch bunnies. However, the most elusive rabbit of all has to be the Easter Bunny. In fact, when you stop and think about it, the Easter Bunny has to be one of the fastest rabbits that has ever “lived” because how many other people or animals (other than Santa Claus) can make it all the way around the world in one night to leave goodies for children everywhere? Fortunately, if your children are desperately hoping to catch a glimpse of the Easter Bunny this year or at least desperately hoping to grab some of his candy, here are some of the places where you may be able to locate this mysterious lagomorph this weekend.

First, if you’re planning to be in the city of Boston with your kids tomorrow (April 19, 2014), you should definitely head over to Faneuil Hall. Faneuil Hall is hosting an Easter Egg Hunt with eggs spread all throughout the marketplace from 10:00 A.M. to 11:00 A.M. This event will allow you and your kids to search for eggs filled with candy and toys and two golden eggs that, if you can find them, will earn you a pile of gift cards to stores throughout the marketplace. Best of all, this event is completely free, and there will be additional prizes awarded to the children that find the most eggs. For more information on the Easter Egg Hunt at Faneuil Hall, please visit the Faneuil Hall Marketplace Events page.

Secondly, if you really want to go to Faneuil Hall, but you’re just not going to be able to make it by 10:00 A.M. or your kids are a little too old for Easter Eggs hunts (or, at least, they think they are), Faneuil Hall has a number of other events this weekend, including a Spring Sidewalk Sale and a Free Spring Concert by the Sugarbabies Band and Reverse Order tomorrow (April 19, 2014) from 12:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M. For more information on the Spring Sidewalk Sale, the Free Spring Concert, and/or other events at Faneuil Hall, please visit the Faneuil Hall Marketplace website.

Finally, if you really don’t have any interest in going into the city with your kids or you’re just looking for something a little closer to home, here are some of the other Easter Egg Hunts in the Boston area this weekend:

Tufts Park in Medford, MA at 1:00 P.M. on April, 19, 2014
The Harvard Coop in Cambridge, MA at 2:00 P.M on April 19. 2014
Bass Pro Shops in Foxborough, MA at 2:00 P.M. April 19 & 20, 2014
Mall Tots at the Liberty Tree Mall in Danvers, MA from 5:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. today (April 18, 2014.) (This event is for children under the age of 5.)

Photo credit: homard.net / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

Kid-Friendly Activities This Weekend

Easter on the Death Star — Wow. Even these guys know that spring is here!

Let’s face it. Winter in New England is cold, and if you’re a parent who isn’t a big fan of your kids losing their extremities, you may have been a little less than keen on the idea of letting them go outside and dive into a snow bank in 10 degrees. The only problem is that when you keep a child cooped up in the house all winter long, they tend to go a little stir-crazy and take you right with them. Fortunately, if the weather outside is any indication, the time to let them escape is finally upon us. In fact, if your wallet is feeling a little light after all of the money that the nice heating man (or woman) took to keep your house warm all winter, there are a number of kid-friendly activities this weekend that won’t make you (or your wallet) scream in pain.

First, if your kids just can’t wait to have an Easter egg hunt and/or your Easter plans really don’t leave a lot of time for a hunt next weekend, you may want to head on over to Pope John Paul II Park in Dorchester tomorrow. This is because Phillips Candy House is sponsoring the 22nd Annual Department of Conservation & Recreation’s Spring Egg Scramble in the park from 11:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. tomorrow, April 12, 2014. This event will allow your children to join an enormous number of other children to search the park for nearly 10,000 eggs filled with toys. Best of all, the event is completely free. For more information on the 22nd Annual Department of Conservation & Recreation’s Spring Egg Scramble, please call 617-333-7404.

Secondly, if your kids are more interested in magic and optical illusions than they are in eggs (which, depending on the purpose of the eggs, may not be such a bad thing), the Davis Museum at Wellesley College has a program that your kids won’t want to miss. This is because the Davis Museum at Wellesley College is hosting a special program tomorrow, April 12, 2014, entitled “Family Day at the Davis: The Art of Illusion” from 11:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. This event will allow you and your family to see artwork that is designed to trick your eyes, watch magic tricks, take part in a scavenger hunt, and a whole lot more. Best of all, the museum and all of its programs are completely free. For more information on Family Day at the Davis: The Art of Illusion and other programs at the Davis Museum, please visit the Davis Museum Event page.

Finally, if your kids would really prefer to hear some music, the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, MA may have a show that’s more up your alley. This is because the Coolidge Corner Theatre is hosting Josh and the Jamtones tomorrow, April 12, 2014 at 10:30 A.M. This group is a Boston-based rock band that plays family-friendly music for kids 3 and up, and seeing them perform won’t break the bank because tickets to the show are only $10 for adults and $8 for kids. For more information on the Josh and the Jamtones show at the Coolidge Corner Theatre, please visit the Coolidge Corner Theatre website.

Photo credit: JD Hancock / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

The Musical Season

If you’re a big fan of musicals, there’s no better time to indulge in one of your favorite activities than now. This is because many of the theatres and schools that perform musicals begin their musical seasons in the early to late spring. As a result, if you’ve been hoping to catch a show that you haven’t seen before, introduce your kids to musicals, or find a new way to enjoy music with other individuals who are a little less musically-inclined than you are, this is the time to do it. In fact, there are several events this weekend that are sure to help you have a good time no matter what your musical preference may be.

First, if you’re looking for a show you haven’t seen before, you may want to consider seeing the Neverland Theatre Company’s production of the Wizard of Oz. Yes, I know, you’ve probably seen the Wizard of Oz or the musical Wicked, but this isn’t the movie and it certainly isn’t a musical from the Witch’s point of view. This production is a stage adaption of the original film, the Wizard of Oz, which is being performed at the Temple B’Nai Abraham Theater in Beverly, MA from tomorrow (April 5, 2014) to Sunday, April 13, 2014. This means that if you’ve always wanted to see Munchkins or Flying Monkeys on stage rather than on screen, you will finally have the chance. For more information on the Neverland Theatre Company’s Production of the Wizard of Oz and/or to order tickets, please visit the Neverland Theatre Company’s website.

Secondly, if you’re looking for a way to introduce your kids to musicals, the North Shore Music Theatre (NSMT) may have exactly what you’re looking for. This is because the North Shore Musical Theatre in association with Theatreworks USA is presenting a musical version of the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe tomorrow (April 5, 2014) for one show only at 11:00 A.M. This production, which is aimed at a much younger audience than your typical musical, will allow you and your children to experience the story of four children traveling through the magical land of Narnia like you have never seen it before. For more information and/or to order tickets, please visit the North Shore Music Theatre’s Children’s Show page.

Finally, if you’re looking for a musical experience that, as Meatloaf might say, has a twist and a bit of spin, the Dane Estate at Pine Manor College in Brookline, MA has the event for you. This is because the Dane Estate at Pine Manor College is hosting an event entitled “Gilded Nights: Masquerade Soireé” tomorrow (April 5, 2014) at 6:30 P.M. However, this soireé is not just a masked party, but is instead a murder mystery with a Phantom of the Opera theme. For more information on Gilded Nights: Masquerade Soireé and/or to order tickets, please visit the Gilded Nights website.

Photo credit: Simon & His Camera / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-ND 2.0)