April 2013 – Salem Happenings

Friday Fun: The Power of Music

“Music has charms to sooth a savage breast, to soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak.” “Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.” “Music is the voice that tells us that the human race is greater than it knows.” These quotes from William Congreve, Victor Hugo, and Napoleon Bonaparte, respectively, are from three very different people. However, all of these individuals had one thing in common — they all understood the power of music.

The power of music is something that we see on a day to day basis because music, as these three individuals suggested, has the power to soothe us, to express things that we don’t know how to say, and to demonstrate the strength of the human spirit. As a result, it’s important to remember that music is so much more than some simple words put to a pleasant tune, and if you’re looking for a way to soothe your mind and escape the trials and tribulations of the world around you, you may just want to know about some of the musical events that are taking place in the Boston area this weekend.

First, if you’re a fan of the opera or you want to be able to tell all of your friends that you have some serious “class”, you may want to check out the Boston Lyric Opera’s production of The Flying Dutchman. The Boston Lyric Opera, which is the largest and one of the most well-respected opera companies in the Northeast, is performing the original version of Richard Wagner’s tale of a cursed sea captain and the woman who loves him tonight at 7:30 P.M., Sunday afternoon at 3:00 P.M., Wednesday (5/1/2013) at 7:30 P.M., next Friday (5/3/2013) at 7:30 P.M., and next Sunday afternoon (5/5/2013) at 3:00 P.M. To find out more about the show and to purchase tickets, please visit the Boston Lyric Opera’s website.

Second, if you like musical theater, but the opera is not really your thing, you may want to look into attending the Berklee College of Music’s production of Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical. Students from the Berklee College of Music are performing James Rado and Gerome Ragni’s well-known stage show about peace, social injustice, rock and roll, and the hippie movement tonight at 7:30. For more information on the show and to purchase tickets, please visit the Berklee College of Music’s event page

Finally, if you’re looking for something a little more current than music from 1841 or 1967 and you don’t mind waiting until Wednesday, Radio may have what you’re looking for. Radio, which is a relatively new club in Somerville, is hosting a fundraiser for the victims of the Boston Marathon Bombing called Radio Loves Boston at 5:00 P.M. on Wednesday (5/1/2013.) This show will feature 20 independent bands playing every type of rock known to man, and all of the proceeds from the show will go to the One Fund Boston. If you’re interested in finding out more about the show, visit Radio’s Facebook page.

A Moment of Silence

Normally, I would use this opportunity to discuss some of the things that you can do to entertain yourself, your friends, and your family this weekend. However, in light of the tragic events that occurred in Boston on Monday and the alarming number of people who have been directly or indirectly affected by them, I have decided to forgo my usual blog post. Instead, I believe that the blogging equivalent of a moment of silence is in order to honor of all of the people who have bigger concerns than how they’re going to entertain themselves this weekend. As such, I leave you with a list of charities that are offering support for the victims and their families:

1. The One Fund Boston: A charity established by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, Mayor Tom Menino, and a number of Boston businesses to assist those most affected by the tragedy.

2. The American Red Cross: The American Red Cross doesn’t need any further assistance for this disaster, but they will need blood, platelet, and financial donations in the future to help with other disasters like the one in Boston.

3. The Boston First Responders Fund: A charity established by local fire stations, police stations, and emergency medical services to assist the victims of the bombing.

Friday Fun: Patriots’ Day Weekend

For those of us who live in Maine or Massachusetts, this weekend is actually a three day weekend because of Patriots’ Day. Patriots’ Day, which marks the anniversary of the first two battles of the American Revolution, is only celebrated in Massachusetts because the battles took place there and celebrated in Maine because it used to be part of Massachusetts. As a result, if you live in one of these states (or you’re a student in Wisconsin, which gives public school students the day off because who can really resist a good excuse to cancel school), you may be about to get three days off in a row. The only thing is that if you live anywhere else, you probably don’t celebrate Patriots’ Day, you’re not getting a three day weekend, you’re not passing go, and you’re thinking that this all means absolutely nothing to you. However, if you’re in the area of Maine or Massachusetts this weekend and you’re looking for something to do, here are some of the things that you should definitely check out.

First, if you can’t resist a good road race or a bunch of sweaty people running miles and miles to prove that they are in much better shape than you or I, you may want to check out the Boston Marathon. The Boston Marathon is one of the largest long-distance running events in the world with well over 20,000 runners each year competing to be the first to run approximately 26 miles through the streets of Boston. In fact, the Boston Marathon is not only one of the world’s largest marathons, but also the world’s oldest annual marathon as the first Boston Marathon took place on April 19th, 1897. The Boston Marathon has been held on Patriots’ Day each and every year since it first began, and this year, as you might expect, is no different. More information about the Boston Marathon and the best ways to watch it can be found on the Boston Marathon’s Website.

Secondly, if you’re looking for a race that’s a little shorter than the Boston Marathon or a little closer to Portland than Boston, the Boys and Girls Clubs’ Patriot’s Day 5-Miler may be the way to go. The Boys and Girls Clubs’ Patriot’s Day 5-Miler is, as you might guess, a five mile road race that takes place in Portland, Maine each year. This race, which is open to all ages, is a lot shorter, a lot younger, and a lot smaller than the Boston Marathon. However, the Boys and Girls Clubs’ Patriot’s Day 5-Miler has been around for quite some time (84 years to be exact), and it is a whole lot easier to enter if you’re interested in actually running. More information on the race can be found here, and if you’re looking for information on how to prepare yourself for a race like the Boston Marathon or the Boys and Girls Clubs’ Patriots’ Day 5-Miler, you should definitely check out Sports Fitness Advisor’s Marathon Training Guide. Running a marathon can be a daunting task, especially if you’re not in marathon shape, but the Sports Fitness Advisor Marathon Training Guide contains a number of articles that are designed to help runners at every skill level.

If you’re more into people who are slowly marching down the street than running down the street at high speed, however, you may want to check out Lexington’s Patriots’ Day Parade. Lexington has a huge Patriots’ Day parade every year that features a fife and drums corps, marching bands, floats, dancers, color guards, veterans and a whole lot more. In fact, if you want to find out more about the parade and a number of other events in Lexington during Patriots’ Day weekend, all you need to do is check out Lexington’s Patriots’ Day Website.

If, on the other hand, you’re looking for an activity that doesn’t involve people walking or running down the street, you may want to head up (or down as the case may be) to Ogunquit, ME. Ogunquit has a huge Patriot’s Day celebration every year, and this celebration includes a wide assortment of events such as bazaars, concerts, craft shows, hay rides, kid’s crafts, kid’s games, reenactments, treasure hunts, wine tastings, and a whole lot more. For more information on Ogunquit’s Patriot’s Day Weekend celebration, which takes place all weekend long, visit Ogunquit’s Website.

Finally, if you’re just wondering why Patriot’s Day has the apostrophe before the “s” in some places and has the apostrophe after the “s” in others, the answer is that there are actually three different ways to write the name of the holiday. In fact, you can write it as “Patriots’ Day” (which is how it is typically written in Massachusetts and Wisconsin), “Patriot’s Day” (which is how it is typically written in Maine), or Patriots Day (which is how is it typically written by anyone who really just doesn’t care.) However, it doesn’t really matter which way you write it because all three ways are actually correct.

Friday Fun: The Circus is in Town

If you’re a fan of the circus or a fan of really old cartoons, you’ve probably heard the line “He’d fly through the air with the greatest of ease, that daring young man on the flying trapeze” somewhere. However, chances are, unless you’re really into 19th century music, you probably don’t know where the line actually comes from. Well, if you’re wondering, the line is actually from a hit song that was written by George Leybourne in the mid 1800’s. Leybourne wrote the song to honor the impressive skills of a trapeze artist that was well-known throughout the world at the time, Jules Leotard.

Now, if you’re sitting at your screen thinking “well, that’s interesting and all, but I would like to hear something slightly more current” or “I quite frankly couldn’t care less about a couple of guys who are long since dead,” it might pique your interest to know that there are other circus performers out there who aren’t quite dead yet. In fact, spring marks the beginning of the circus season, and if you’re looking for a way to entertain your kids, your significant other, or yourself, you may want to check out some of these shows:

1. The Big Apple Circus tours the states of Massachusetts and New York from March 26th to July 28th with stops in Boston, Queens, Charlestown, and Lake George. This troupe features acrobats, clowns, dancers, jugglers, performing animals, trapeze artists, and more. For more information on the Big Apple Circus, visit their website.

2. The Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus is a lot larger than some of the other shows that are around and it tours over half of the country. This circus, which actually stops in cities year round, features acrobats, comedy acts, clowns, dancers, jugglers, knife-throwers, performing animals, strongmen, trapeze artists, and a whole lot more. In fact, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus has so many performers that they actually have them divided into four different tour groups. If you’re interested in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus, check out their website.

3. The Piccadilly Circus tours the country from March 27th to June 2nd. This troupe features acrobats, clowns, dancers, jugglers, motorcycles, performing animals, trapeze artists, and more. For more information on the Piccadilly Circus, visit their website.

4. Cirque Du Soleil, which literally translates to “Circus of the Sun”, is one of the largest circuses in existence, and they not only have troupes performing shows in the United States, but the rest of the world as well. Cirque Du Soleil’s shows are a little more unusual than your typical circus, but they always feature some of the world’s most skilled acrobats, clowns, jugglers, and other performers. If you want to find out more about Cirque Du Soleil, check out their website.