It may have been Benjamin Franklin that once said that “in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes”, but he certainly wasn’t alone in the sentiment. In fact, Christopher Bullock, Daniel Defoe, Edward Ward, Mark Twain, Dorothy Parker, Margaret Mitchell, and a slew of other famous authors have expressed the same rather depressing idea that life may be uncertain, but you’re pretty much stuck paying taxes until you die (and many of them said it before Franklin.) However, if you’re in Massachusetts this weekend, where Franklin’s quote could be the state motto, you may be in luck because this weekend is actually Massachusetts’ Tax Free Weekend. As a result, you can now go out and enjoy all of the big box stores and all of the little shops that Massachusetts has to offer without giving 6.25% to the tax man. Even better still, there are a number of local festivals this weekend that will allow you to enjoy food, music, and more as you take full advantage of the lack of sales tax.
First, if you’ve been dying to spend some time by the water, Gloucester has a festival this weekend that you won’t want to miss. This is because the 33rd Annual Gloucester Waterfront Festival is this Saturday (August 16, 2014) and Sunday (August 17, 2014) from 9:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. The Waterfront Festival, which is located at Stage Fort Park in Gloucester, will feature a pancake breakfast, over 175 artists and craftsmen, food, music, an antique car show, and more. Best of all, the event is completely free (until you buy stuff from the vendors.) For more information on the 33rd Annual Gloucester Waterfront Festival, please visit the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce website or the Waterfront Festivals website.
Secondly, if you’ve always been a big fan of jazz, soul, and rock and roll, Salem, MA is definitely the place to be this weekend. This is because the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival is this Saturday (August 16, 2014) and Sunday (August 17, 2014) from 11:00 A.M. to 7:15 P.M. This festival, which is scheduled to take place at the Salem Willows, will feature artists; a beer garden; a tent with activities and games for kids; music education classes; and, of course, live music from over 10 bands that are extremely skilled in jazz, soul, rock, funk, swing, and more. For more information on the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival, which is completely free (again, until you buy stuff from the vendors), please visit the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival website.
Finally, if you have a young girl between the ages of 8 and 17 who loves music or you really just like seeing little girls rock out, you may want to check out the Girls Rock Campaign Boston performance at the Brighton Music Hall tomorrow (Saturday, August 16, 2014.) The Girls Rock Campaign Boston is a volunteer summer program that gives girls between the ages of 8 and 17 a chance to form their own band, write their own music, learn to rock their favorite instrument, and more. In fact, the girls not only form their own band and learn everything they need to strut their stuff, but also get the opportunity to perform in front of a live audience at the end of the program. The show tomorrow, as you might have guessed, is that opportunity and it can be a lot of fun to see what these kids and teens can really do. For more information on the Girls Rock Campaign Boston program, please visit the Girls Rock Boston website, and if you would like to order tickets to the performance, please visit Ticketmaster.
Photo credit: DonkeyHotey / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)