The Discovery Museums have opened a new exhibit, AirPlay, inside the Children’s Discovery Museum. The new interactive exhibit allows young children to explore the properties of the natural world around them by playing with moving air, feeling the invisible forces of wind, and using air currents to make objects behave in fun and surprising ways.
The exhibit consists of several components that move air and allow children to engage with it through hands-on interactions. At Twisty Tubes, visitors release balls and fabric into large clear tubes that pull the items through coiled channels and along straight pathways.
At the Air Table visitors use air flow tubes to move objects, such as ping pong balls or small sailboats, across the surface or around obstacles. A Shimmery Wall displays small reflective pieces that move freely when air is blown at or across them, highlighting different airflow patterns. In the mirrored Windy Corner visitors feel and see the results of the wind blowing on them as their clothing, hair, capes, or streamers flutter and fly.
AirPlay was developed by The Discovery Museums’ educators in consultation with museum colleagues and exhibit professionals in the Exhibit Lab collaborative funded by the Institute for Museum and Library Services. Part of this process involved visitors testing prototypes of these exhibits as they were being developed and making changes to improve design elements and to encourage family learning opportunities.
A series of programs related to air will take place on Tuesdays in July and August. “AirPlay Tuesdays” programs are scheduled from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm and feature activities such as kite building, sail cars, stomp rockets, and more. See discoverymuseums.org for a detailed program schedule of activities
The new AirPlay exhibit and program series are sponsored by MEFA’s U.Fund and Fidelity Investments.
From July 26-28, Boston Summer Arts Weekend takes over Copley Square, showcasing Boston’s thriving arts community by bringing local and national artists to the city for a variety of performances. But on Saturday morning, July 27, the main stage comes alive with Boston’s best family musicians, performing a range of music guaranteed to have people of all ages tapping their toes and dancing to the beat. With costumed characters, face painting, balloon art and much more, Boston Summer Arts Weekend becomes a destination for the entire family.
The morning begins at 11 am with Vanessa Trien, a Boston-based singer-songwriter who has become a rock star among the young and young at heart. The “Nessa Groupies” have been known to sing and dance in the aisles at her packed shows with her lively band, the Jumping Monkeys.
Vanessa Trien will be followed by Airborne Comedians, two performers who’ve traveled the globe performing their high energy, unorthodox comedy juggling show to the delight of all ages. Dan Foley and Joel Harris throw and catch birdbaths, lawn-chairs, electric guitars and baseball bats in their hilarious juggling routines while balanced atop 6 and 7-foot high unicycles.
With countless awards to their credit, including five Parent’s Choice awards, Ben Rudnick and Friends will round out the main stage programming with an adventurous, high-energy blend of happy, upbeat acoustic music, guaranteed to entertain an entire family. Blending musical styles from country to rock, their original songs and fun takes on familiar tunes make the audience stand up, sing and dance.
The Fountain Stage will feature a variety of dance and music, including the Harney Academy of Irish Dance, the non-profit music organization Zumix, Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band, and much more. Also joining in the fun for the day will be costumed characters from WGBH, including Clifford the Big Red Dog, Curious George and Arthur.
Blues and jazz icon Dr. John and the Nite Trippers as well as the legendary Preservation Hall Jazz Band will headline Friday’s opening concert at Copley Square. Noe Socha, a guitar and harmonica blues artist and student at Berklee College of Music will open the evening’s performance and will be followed by the bluegrass band Della Mae.
Saturday will celebrate music of the world. The day will feature performances from Carlos Nunez, a Galician bagpipe player from the Celtic region of Spain, ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro, Grammy-Award winning Beninoise singer-songwriter Angelique Kidjo, Brooklyn-based Bhangra band Red Baraat and Boston’s own Session Americana.
Once the main stage at Copley Square darkens, the music will continue with a series of ticketed After Dark performances. In this relaxed and intimate cocktail party setting, attendees will be treated to short-form, intimate performances from the artists who were featured earlier that day on the main stage. Sometimes acoustic, occasionally amped, these performances will feature unique collaborations by the artists and special guests. Tickets for the Boston Summer Arts Weekend After Dark events are $65.00 per night and tickets for the Baroque Brunch are $75.00. All tickets can be purchased online at www.bostonsummerarts.com.
Local Arts Participation
Local arts organizations will offer discounts and unique programming for the public, all of them featured in a special guide. All arts and entertainment organizations are invited to list their events in the guide and on the Summer Arts Weekend website free of charge. The guide will be distributed in The Boston Sunday Globe and the Worcester Telegram & Gazette and will be available online at WGBH.org. To submit a listing, please visit www.BostonSummerArts.com.
Presented by Citizens Bank, the 2013 Boston Summer Arts Weekend takes place July 26-28, 2013. The weekend will feature a free festival on Copley Square, special offers around the city, and a series of ticketed unique performances. With music ranging from classical and jazz to Latin, bluegrass and soul, dramatic theater and dance, Summer Arts Weekend will showcase Boston’s thriving arts community by bringing local and national artists to the city for a variety of performances. The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) will also be onsite at the festival. Staff from GBFB will be collecting monetary donations to help local residents in need through GBFB member agencies in eastern Massachusetts.
Summer Arts Weekend is presented by Citizens Bank. For more information, follow Boston Summer Arts weekend on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/BostonSummerArts and follow @BSAW_Tweets on Twitter. More details are also available at www.bostonsummerarts.com.
Memoirs of a Hack Mechanic is by the longtime Newton resident Rob Siegel. It’s a pretty funny book about being a car guy and how best to balance that with being a dad, a husband, a guy that’s got to contribute to household chores and expenses.
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In Memoirs of a Hack Mechanic, Rob Siegel shares his secrets to buying, fixing, and driving cool cars without risking the kids’ tuition money or destroying his marriage. And that’s something to brag about considering the dozens of cars, including twenty-five BMW 2002s, that have passed through his garage over the past three decades.
A geophysicist by day and self-professed car junkie in his free time, Siegel explores his passion for cars with unflinching honesty and offers a unique window into the Car Guy mind. For over 25 years, Rob has written a monthly column called “The Hack Mechanic” for the BMW Car Club of America’s magazine Roundel. Along the way he reflects on the genesis of his fascination with boxy little German sedans, the miserable Triumph GT6+ he owned in college, rebuilding the engine of his wife’s VW bus in the kitchen of their first apartment, how cars affect family dynamics, and why men really love cars. And in showing how cars have repeatedly been the conduit for deep human connections in his life, Siegel reveals his controversial theory that beyond their greasy fingernails, gearheads are actually intimate, caring creatures. Siegel also explains why, in a world over which we have so little control, the act of diagnosing and painstakingly fixing broken cars can be immensely therapeutic. Just don’t ask him to fix other people’s cars!
With a steady dose of irreverent humor, Memoirs of a Hack Mechanic blends car stories, DIY advice, and cautionary tales in a way that will resonate with the car-obsessed (and the people who love them).
Rob is the longtime columnist for BMW Roundel magazine. His first book has already received terrific reviews in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and Autoblog.
On Wednesday, July 10 (7:30 -9 PM), a community meeting will be held at The Village Bank, 307 Auburn St. in Auburndale, to discuss the Auburndale commuter rail accessibility project.
The MBTA project team and its architect will provide a slide presentation and answer questions about the design of the Auburndale station and plans to make it handicap accessible.
People worldwide love to hokey pokey!!! In 2012 a group in Canada set the new Guinness World Record with 2,351 dancers doing the hokey pokey for five minutes non stop. It’s no wonder that Christine Russell at the Atlantic asks if the Hokey Pokey could win a Nobel Prize?
Come do the hokey pokey live with Marcie at one of her upcoming FREE public events!
June 26: Life Alive, Cambridge, MA
July 15, 19, & 29, 2013: Charlestown Boys & Girls Club, MA
Aug. 17: West End Children’s Festival, Boston, MA
Aug. 23: Henry Bear’s Park, Brookline, MA
Join the Cambridge Youth Dance Program in their quest to stay alive and continue to impact young artists in our community.
The evening includes cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, a silent auction and live entertainment from Khalid Hill, Beantown Lockers, Floorlords, CYDP Dancers, DJ Leanski & Safire and Emcee Al Vasallo from WHDH TV.
For the past 24 years, Newton Community Pride has sponsored the July 4th Festivities for the City of Newton. With the help of our sponsors, this celebration has been totally free to the public.
Like most non-profit organizations, Newton Community Pride is feeling the pinch of the present economic crisis. We cannot continue without your help. Having enjoyed this event for so many years, free of charge, we hope that you will help keep this tradition alive. As Newton Community Pride celebrates its 24th Anniversary, please consider giving $24 (or any amount you choose) to help continue this fun-filled day for another 24 years!
Send a check payable to Newton Community Pride to 225 Nevada Street, Newton, MA 02460 or use your credit card to make a tax deductible donation on-line.
Newton 4th of July Celebration
Newton Centre Playground at Tyler Terrace from 10 AM – Noon
For children 3 – 12.
Cancelled in the event of rain.
Grande Pet Parade
Teddy Bear Parade
Decorated Doll Carriage Promenade
Foot Races
FREE ice cream, candy and drinks sponsored by Cabot’s Ice Cream, Trader Joe’s!
Firework show at 9 PM at Albemarle Field in Newton.
Many thanks to Newton Community Pride, The Mayor’s Office for Cultural Affairs and, The Newton Parks and Recreation Department, Cabots Ice Cream and Trader Joe’s for this spectacular day of fun and celebration!
Every year pets die because they were left in a car on a warm day.
On a 78-degree day, the temperature inside a parked car can reach 100 – 120 degrees in mere minutes, so leaving your dog in the car for “just a minute” is dangerous. On a 90+ degree day the interior temperature can reach 160 degrees in less than 10 minutes!
Just like people, animals are affected by the heat, but unlike humans they can only cool themselves by panting and sweating through their paw pads.
What to do if you come across a dog in a car with no owner in sight:
– Note the car’s make/model, license plate number, location and the time.
– Take down a description of the dog, noting his/her condition. Watch for restlessness, thick saliva, heavy panting, lethargy, vomiting, bloody diarrhea and lack of coordination. These are all symptoms of heatstroke.
– Ask nearby businesses to make announcements using the vehicle’s make/model to locate the dog’s owner. – If the owner is not located call the police or local animal control.
– If possible, don’t leave the scene until help has arrived!
If your pet shows signs of heatstroke, bring him/her to a vet immediately! Provide your pet with water to drink, and apply cool (not cold), wet towels to the groin area, stomach, chest, and paws. If you have access to a large amount of water, consider spraying or splashing him/her with cool water, to bring body temperature down.
This information is from The Animal Rescue League of Boston.
The renovated Volante Farms caught my eye driving back from a soccer party. I had never been there before the renovation but I had always heard people talking about it.
I went to check it out and fell in love! This year-round Farmer’s Market of my dreams. The new building, completed about a year ago, has the space to expand their existing products, plus space to add in some new items. There is now have a full service deli, bakery, ice cream stand, and farm kitchen.
It was raining heavily that day so I didn’t explore the extensive nursery but the plants looked unsually lush and vibrant. They have annuals, perennials, vegetables, and shrubs as well as a multitude of vegetable transplants and hanging baskets. The hanging baskets look gorgeous.
Volante Farms also has lovely pottery planters for your garden.
Their bakery is sourced from just about every artisanal bakery in the Boston area. This is such a great convenience for bread lovers!
They also have baked goods like muffins and scones.
Though it was cold in late Spring, there was still quite an assortment of seasonal vegetables and fruit from local farms. There were also meat and artisinal cheese in the refrigerated section.
Chef Todd Heberlein heads up the kitchen at Volante Farms. He has over a decade of experience in providing farm to table cuisine for the discerning customer.
The kitchen staff prepares a wide variety of vegetables, salads, pastas, and meats ready for heating and eating at home or on the go. Many of these products are made with the vegetables grown here on the farm or with meat, grains, and dairy from local farmers.
Products featuring their HOMEGROWN vegetables will feature a yellow and green VF sticker on them.
Their Farm Kitchen prepares daily sandwich and/or soup specials for a hot midday meal.
Have you been to Volante Farms since their renovation? It’s worth a visit!
