Tag: BCAE

Your Boston Accent: Love It or Lose It?

Boston Cityscape
Do you park your car in Harvard Yard or do you pahk your cah in Hahvuhd Yahd? If you’re from anywhere in the vicinity of the Boston area, you’ve probably heard this phrase or some version of it at some point. In fact, it’s pretty much a guarantee that someone somewhere will ask you to demonstrate your Boston accent like you’re a trained chimpanzee whose sole purpose is to amuse the person who probably has an accent thicker than you do. Unfortunately, when you are presented with this question, you really only have two options: get mad and refuse or say the phrase. However, if you would like to shock and awe all of the people who ask to hear your accent, you may want to consider either learning to eliminate your accent (which will really shock them when you say the phrase in a way they are totally not expecting) or you can embrace your Boston heritage and brush up on your accent (thereby making sure that your accent is wicked pissa).

First, if you would like to lose your accent, you may want to consider taking a course at the Boston Center for Adult Education (BCAE). This is because the BCAE is offering a course entitled “Lose Your Boston Accent” from 10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. tomorrow (Saturday, November 21, 2015). This course, which is primarily designed for actors and other professionals who may need to speak in a more generic dialect, will teach you to pronounce your r’s, pronounce certain vowel sounds differently, and lose some of the Boston slang we’ve all come to know and love. For more information on the Lose Your Boston Accent course at the BCAE, please visit the Boston Center for Adult Education’s website.

If, on the other hand, you would like to embrace your heritage and really work on improving your accent, there’s no better way than spending some time in the city itself. And, if you would like to spend some time in the city itself and enjoy everything Boston has to offer, you may want to check out Boston CityPASS. Boston CityPASS is a program that will allow you to buy a booklet of tickets to some of the most popular museums in Boston at an extremely discounted price. In fact, this program will allow you to get tickets to four attractions, including the Museum of Science, the Museum of Fine Arts, the New England Aquarium, and either the Harvard Museum of Natural History or the Skywalk Observatory for a single fee that’s pretty close to half the price you would normally pay to get into all four museums. For more information on the Boston CityPASS program, please visit the Official Boston CityPASS website.

Photo credit: Bert Kaufmann / Foter.com / CC BY

Beware! Halloween Fun Lurks Here!

Beware! I'd Turn Back If I Were You!With only two weeks left before Halloween,
Salem has again become a mob scene.
Yet, even though the witch city is certainly a fun place,
It is not the only city that can put a smile on your child’s face.
In fact, whether you’re a fan of Salem or Boston or anywhere else in this fine state,
You are certain to find an event that you and your kids think is great!

First, if you are an aspiring horror writer or glassblower and you’re expecting to be in the Boston area this weekend, you may want to check out the Boston Center for Adult Education. This is because the Boston Center for Adult Education (BCAE) is hosting two Halloween themed classes this Sunday (October 19, 2014) as part of their Haunted Halloween at the BCAE event series. The first class, which is entitled the Thriller/Horror Novel Writing Workshop, is a one-day session that is designed for aspiring writers that want to learn more about the characters, dialogue, story structure, suspense-building techniques, and other methods that are in used in some of the great novels of the horror genre. The second class, which is entitled Glass Blowing Workshop: Glass Pumpkins, is a one-day session that will teach you how to make your own hollow glass pumpkin. For more information on these events and other events at the BCAE, please visit the Boston Center for Adult Education’s class page.

Secondly, if you’re not really into horror or glassblowing, but you have some kids that are absolutely obsessed with Halloween and the zoo, you may want to consider heading over to the Stone Zoo on Saturday or Sunday (October 18 – 19, 2014.) This is because the Stone Zoo is combining everything your kids love about Halloween and the zoo into one program entitled “Boo at the Zoo.” This program will allow your kids to enter a costume contest, make their way through a haunted maze, play some Halloween-themed games, trick-or-treat around the zoo, try their hands at some Halloween-themed arts and crafts, and more. For more information on Boo at the Zoo, which runs from 11:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. each day this weekend, please visit the Zoo New England Boo at the Zoo page.

Finally, if you’re part of the mob scene in Salem and you’re looking for something to entertain your kids, there are actually three events on the Salem Common this weekend that may be perfect. The first event is the Annual Children’s Halloween Parade & Costume Party, which is an opportunity for your child to show off their Halloween costume in a parade, partake in some games and crafts, and possibly even win some prizes. The second event is the Providence Grays Baseball Game, which will actually allow you and your family to watch a baseball game played using Civil War style bats, uniforms, and rules. The third and final event on the common this weekend is “The Box.” This event, which is presented by the Gallows Hill Theatre, is an interactive performance that is designed to have children of all ages rolling on the floor laughing. For more information on all of the events on Salem Common this weekend and other events throughout Salem, please visit the Salem Haunted Happenings website.

Photo credit: mattieb / Foter / CC BY-SA