April 2015 – Salem Happenings

A Sunny End to April Vacation

If you’re the parent of a school-aged child living somewhere in the Boston area, April Vacation can be tough. In fact, since we had typical April weather (rain, rain, and more rain) on Patriot’s Day (which may have been the only day you had off this week), there’s a pretty good chance that your kids have been cooped up in your house for the duration of their April vacation. And, if they’re like most kids, they’re probably driving you just a little bit insane by this point. Fortunately, if you’re looking for a way to get your kids out of the house so they can enjoy the end of their vacation, you’re in luck because there are a number of kid-friendly activities scheduled for this weekend.

First, if your kid is a big fan of animals and/or fairy tale princesses, you may want to head over to the Stone Zoo this weekend. This is because the Stone Zoo is hosting a Princess and Frog Day from 11:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. tomorrow (April 25, 2015.) This event will not only allow your kids to meet a number of different princesses from well-known fairy tales and Disney films but will also give your kids a chance to make some arts and crafts and learn about all the animals that the zoo has with a special focus on frogs. For more information on the Princess and Frog Day at the Stone Zoo, please visit the Zoo New England Events page.

If, on the other hand, your kids are big fans of the zoo but not such big fans of princesses, the Franklin Park Zoo may make more sense for your family this weekend. This is because the Franklin Park Zoo is hosting their annual Party for the Planet from 10:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. today (April 24, 2015.) This celebration will feature special eco-friendly exhibits, scavenger hunts, and a number of other Earth Day-related activities in addition to everything the zoo typically has to offer. For more information on the Party for the Planet at the Franklin Park Zoo, please visit the Zoo New England Events page.

Finally, if your kids are into all things science (or you would really like them to be), you may want to check out the Cambridge Science Festival this weekend. The Cambridge Science Festival, which is sponsored by MIT but takes place throughout Cambridge and the surrounding area, features a series of activities, demonstrations, workshops, and tours that are designed to teach children and adults of all ages about a wide range of scientific and technological discoveries. Topics that will be covered at the festival this weekend include fashion technology, martial arts, math, optics, the science of sound and music, sky and space flight, web development, and a whole lot more. For more information on the Cambridge Science Festival, which ends on Sunday, please visit the Cambridge Science Festival website.

Photo credit: B.Riordan. / Foter / CC BY

Exploring the History and Culture of Boston

Patriot’s Day, which was originally established to honor the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord and the beginning of the Revolutionary War, is actually this Monday. Now, for anyone outside of Massachusetts and Maine, the fact that Patriot’s Day is this weekend probably doesn’t mean a whole lot because most states don’t celebrate the holiday. In fact, unless you’re a serious history buff or you live in Massachusetts, Maine, or Wisconsin (the only states to officially recognize the holiday), Patriot’s Day is probably just another day on the calendar. However, if you are in the Boston area, Monday is not only the third day of a three-day weekend but also an opportunity to watch the Boston Marathon and explore the history and culture of a great city.

As a result, if you are looking for a way to explore the history of Boston, there is probably no better way than the Inside the Box: Massachusetts State House Time Capsule Revealed exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts. This exhibit, which ends on Wednesday (April 22, 2015), features a time capsule that was originally buried in 1795 by Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, and William Scollay and then excavated and reburied in 1855 after a number of other items were added. This means that you will have the opportunity to see coins, plaques, and newspapers that are anywhere from 160 to over 360 years old. In addition to the time capsule, the exhibit will also feature other historical objects and portraits of some of the prominent individuals from the time periods in which the capsule was originally placed and previously opened. For more information on the Inside the Box exhibit , which is included in the museum’s normal admission price, please visit the Museum of Fine Arts Boston’s Exhibition page.

If, on the other hand, you’re more interested in the current culture of Boston than you are in its history, you may want to check out the Boston International Film Festival. The Boston International Film Festival, which started last night (April 16, 2015) and runs until Monday (April 20, 2015), will feature 70 independent and experimental films from around the world. However, this festival will not only allow you to watch a number of short and full-length films but will also allow you to meet some of the stars, producers, and directors of these films, including stars that have appeared in well-known shows like Agent Carter, Nikita, 12 Monkeys, and more. For more information on the Boston International Film Festival, which is considered to be one of the best film festivals in the world, please visit the Boston International Film Festival website.

Photo credit: timsackton / Foter / CC BY-SA

Game of Thrones: Season 5 Premiere

Winter is coming, but fear not for the only snow we’re talking about here is a member of the Night’s Watch. In fact, as you may have guessed from the title, this week’s post is not centered around the winter season, but is instead centered around the HBO series, Game of Thrones. This is because this Sunday marks the premiere of the fifth season of the popular TV series based on the novels by George R. R. Martin. As a result, fans of the show can rejoice because their long wait for more battle, betrayal, brinkmanship, and beautiful visuals has finally come to an end. However, if you are a true fan of the series and you’re looking for a way to really get into the spirit of Westeros, there are a few things this weekend that are sure to help.

First, if you have children who are a little too young for Game of Thrones, but you would like to include them in the medieval excitement surrounding the series, you may want to check out Alex the Jester. Alex the Jester, who is performing at the Coolidge Corner Theatre tomorrow (Saturday, April 11, 2015) at 10:30 A.M., is a modern day court jester. He has appeared throughout the United States and Canada to demonstrate his comic skills and made several TV appearances, including appearances on America’s Got Talent and Showtime. For more information on Alex the Jester and/or to order tickets for the show, please visit the Coolidge Corner Theatre website.

Secondly, if your kids are old enough for Game of Thrones or you would really just like to try your hand at taking over the world of Westeros on your own, you may want to try the Game of Thrones Board Game. The Game of Thrones Board Game, which adds its own unique twists to familiar games like Risk and Diplomacy, will allow you and up to 5 other players to take control of one of the houses of Westeros. Your ultimate goal, of course, is to use every tool at your disposal to decimate your enemies and cement your control over the Iron Throne. For more information on the game and/or to order a copy, please visit the Fantasy Flight Games website or Amazon.com.

Finally, if you don’t have kids or you’re planning to leave the little ones with their grandparents while you find a way to embrace your love of your show, the Violet Thorn in Natick may have the perfect event for you. This is because the Violet Thorn has planned an Authentic Game of Thrones Dining Experience from 2:00 P.M. tomorrow (April 11, 2015) to close on Sunday (April 12, 2015.) This dining experience will allow you to enjoy a number of Game of Thrones-inspired dishes, including Baratheon Blood Wild Boar Rib, Beef n’ Bacon Pie, Dragon’s Tail with Fire Breath, Sansa’s Homemade Lemon Pie, and Violet Thorn’s King’s Landing Confit. For more information on the Authentic Game of Thrones Dining Experience, please visit The Boston Calendar website or the Violet Thorn website.

Photo credit: MEDIODESCOCIDO / Foter / CC BY

Why Boston Doesn’t Want the Olympics

There’s been a lot of talk recently about Boston’s bid to host the Summer Olympics in 2024 and the growing concern that many people in the Boston area feel towards that bid. However, a lot of the coverage and comments coming out of the media and the Olympic committees seem to have created this notion that athletes are not welcome in Boston or that Bostonians don’t like the Olympics and, to be honest, this notion is pretty ridiculous.

Boston is a city that has an enormous amount of pride in its athletes from the Patriots to the Red Sox to the Celtics to the Bruins and every other team or individual athlete from the area regardless of the sport they participate in. In fact, there are more people in the northeast watching the Olympics every two years than there are in any part of the United States except for the very center of the country. As a result, the people of Boston are not against the Olympics because we don’t like the Olympics or because we don’t want athletes here, but instead because we are greatly concerned with the ability of our infrastructure and our leadership to handle something as monumental as the Olympic games. Now, you may be sitting there thinking “O.K., why are you so concerned?”, and that’s a very good question. So good, in fact, that I thought it was worth taking a break from my normal posts about events in the Boston area to answer it.

If you keep up with Boston news or you’re familiar with the events and projects that have taken place in Boston over the last 30 years, you probably know that Boston has a rich history and that rich history includes more than its fair share of problems. In fact, there were two particular problems during the last 30 years that have led the people of Boston to doubt the city’s ability to handle large endeavors.

The first, of course, is the Big Dig. The Big Dig, for those of you who may not be familiar with it, was one of the largest construction projects in the history of not only New England but of the United States as a whole. This project, which was also known as the Central Artery/Tunnel Project, was intended to be a 16-year, $3 billion operation to build two new tunnels, a new bridge, a new park, and to alter the path of route 93 in order to relieve some of the traffic congestion around the city. Unfortunately, like most great plans of mice and men, the project went awry and after 25 years and over $14 billion (9 years and over $11 billion more than originally expected), the city ended up with a new park, a less congested highway, and two leaky tunnels complete with falling ceiling panels, falling light fixtures, and unsafe guardrails. This led not only the citizens of the Boston area, but their elected officials as well to doubt the ability of the city to carry out large-scale projects and a number of projects, including the Green Line Extension Project, were put on hold. To make matters worse, the city didn’t have the money to pay for the entire project in full, so it is still paying for it now and estimates the final cost of the project after interest to be approximately $24 billion ($21 billion over the original estimated cost.)

The second problem, which has recently been brought to the forefront, is the city’s public transportation system. The city’s public transportation system, the T, has faced a number of challenges over the years, but this year’s historic winter proved to be a grueling test of the T’s ability to operate during difficult and/or unfavorable conditions. The problem is that when the T’s ability to respond to the unexpected (or even expected conditions beyond the norm) was put to the test, it ultimately failed. In fact, the T was not only forced to shut down completely on multiple occasions without warning, but was also unable to restore full service for almost a month after the big storms were over. Now, there is no question that there was a ludicrous amount of snow in Boston this year, as the city broke almost every snow-related record, and no one can completely fault the T for its failure to operate. However, if the T cannot handle a rough winter in an area that is known for its rough winters, how can anyone expect the T to handle millions and millions of extra people trying to enter and exit the city on a daily basis for several weeks?

In the end, the fact of the matter is that as much as Bostonians would like to be able to say that they hosted the Olympics and actually have the opportunity to attend them, it’s hard for the people of Boston and the surrounding areas to believe that the city could actually pull it all off without breaking the bank, bringing our highways to a standstill, crippling our public transportation system, and causing a slew of other unforeseen problems.

Photo credit: <> / Foter / CC BY-ND

Works Consulted
Hoffher, Justine. “Can We Talk Rationally About the Big Dig Yet?” Boston.com. Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC, 5 Jan. 2015. Web. 3 Apr. 2015.

“How Different Genders, Ages, Races, and Regions Watch the Olympics.” Nielsen. The Nielsen Company, 25 Feb. 2010. Web. 3 Apr. 2015.

Macur, Juliet. “If 2024 Olympic Bid is a Hot Potato, Boston Has No Appetite.” The New York Times. The New York Times Company, 2 Apr. 2015. Web. 3 Apr. 2015.

Wikipedia contributors. “Big Dig.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 15 Mar. 2015. Web. 3 Apr. 2015.

Wikipedia contributors. “Boston Bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 31 Mar. 2015. Web. 3 Apr. 2015.