Tag: Irish Dancing

A Family Friendly Saint Patrick’s Day

 

Saint Patrick's Day Family Zone

Saint Patrick’s Day has always been a time for those of Irish descent to celebrate their heritage. However, like most celebrations, there’s always a few people that tend to overdo things and take the festivities to a whole new level. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find a year that doesn’t have some headline, rumor, or story about a group of people who delved into their green drinks a little too quickly and found themselves in far more trouble than they had ever expected. As a result, locating a family-friendly way to celebrate the holiday without the mischief can be a little more difficult than it should be. Fortunately, if you are looking for a way to enjoy Saint Patrick’s Day with your family, there are a number of family-friendly events this weekend.

First, if you’re looking for a way for your children to learn more about their Irish heritage or you’re just looking for a party without the alcohol, you may want to check out Old Sturbridge Village. Old Sturbridge Village is hosting a “Celtic Celebration” this Saturday and Sunday (March 15th and 16th) from 9:30 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. This old-fashioned Irish party will allow you and your family to enjoy traditional Irish dancing, food, music, and stories while you learn all about the Irish immigrants that made their way to the United States during the 1800’s. Best of all, Old Sturbridge Village has a special deal right now that children under the age of 17 can get in free as long as they are with an adult that is paying the normal admission price. This means that getting in may be a whole lot cheaper than it normally would be. For more information on the Celtic Celebration at Old Sturbridge Village, please visit the Old Sturbridge Village website.

Secondly, if you’re not Irish or you’re really just looking for something to keep your kids busy for a couple of hours, Wit and Whimsy may have exactly what you’re looking for. Wit and Whimsy, which is a children’s bookstore located in Marblehead, MA, is hosting a Cinderella Storytime with the Boston Ballet from 10:00 A.M. to 11:00 A.M. today (March 14, 2014.) This event will allow your children to hear the story of Cinderella told by some of the Boston Ballet dancers who are actually performing the ballet-version of Cinderella at the Boston Opera House. In fact, these ballet dancers will not just read the story, but will also teach your children some of the dance steps from the actual ballet. For more information on the Cinderella Storytime with the Boston Ballet, please visit the Wit and Whimsy Event page.

Finally, if the Cinderella Storytime sounds awesome, but you just can’t make it today, you may want to head over to the Gloucester Lyceum and Sawyer Free Library next Friday (March 21, 2014.) This is because the Gloucester Lyceum and Sawyer Free Library, which is also known as the Gloucester Public Library, is hosting Cinderella Storytime with the Boston Ballet from 10:00 A.M. to 11:00 A.M. For more information and/or to reserve a spot, please visit the Gloucester Lyceum and Sawyer Free Library’s Event Calendar.

Photo credit: Bryan Maleszyk / Foter / CC BY

Friday Fun: A Little Bit of Culture (Sci-fi or Otherwise)

The first tropical storm of the year, tropical storm Andrea, has made its way up the east coast, and while it isn’t bringing that much wind to the Northeast, it is dumping buckets and buckets of rain in every direction you look. In fact, as I sit here typing this, there is a squirrel sitting on the fence outside my window attempting to use his (or perhaps her) tail as an umbrella. As you might guess, this had led me to the conclusion that things outside are more than a little wet as even the squirrels are having trouble finding somewhere dry. Fortunately, if you are looking for somewhere to spend your weekend without using your bag, briefcase, or other accessory as an umbrella (since you presumably don’t have a tail), there are a number of events in the Boston area that are occurring after the storm is over this weekend.

First, if you’re a big fan of Star Trek and you’ve been looking for a way to prove your undying adoration for the show or the movies, you may want to head on over to the Hynes Convention Center tomorrow or Sunday. The Hynes Convention Center is hosting the Official Star Trek Convention – Boston on Saturday and Sunday this weekend from 10:00 a.m. on. This convention will feature special guest appearances from William Shatner (Captain Kirk), George Takai (Sulu), Nichelle Nichols (Uhura), Brent Spiner (Data), Michael Dorn (Worf), Nana Visitor (Major Kira), and a slew of other actors and actresses from Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The convention will also feature Star Trek auctions, costumes, contests, merchandise, music videos, and everything else a true fan could possibly want. If this all sounds like a blast to you, check out the convention’s website.

If, on the other hand, Star Trek isn’t really your thing or you’re just looking for something that is cultural without the sci-fi culture, you may want to check out the Boston Irish Festival or the Boston Dragon Boat Festival. The Boston Irish Festival, which is the largest Irish Festival on the East Coast, features Irish dancing, food, games, music, and a whole lot more. The Festival runs from today (although a lot of the major events have been rescheduled due to the storm) through Sunday, and if you would like more information on the Festival, you can find it all on the Boston Irish Festival Website.

The Boston Dragon Boat Festival is not only the longest running Dragon Boat Festival in North America, but is also one of the largest celebrations of all things Asian in the Northeast. In fact, you can expect to see arts and crafts, Chinese and Japanese drumming, martial arts demonstrations, traditional dances from India and Korea, a wide assortment of different foods, and, most importantly, dragon boats racing down the Charles. Most of the Dragon Boat Festival will take place on Sunday, but the time trials for the dragon boat races will take place on Saturday. For more information on the Dragon Boat Festival, please visit the Boston Dragon Boat Festival website.