Giant typewriters, sculpture races, and more Boston events this week
By: Jim Martinho - Thursday, Jun 4, 2015 - 1:02pm
(Photo credit: People’s Sculpture Racing)
Don’t let the April-ish weather we’ve been getting keep you from all of the summer-themed parties this week, because summer is just a state of mind, anyways: A mind in a drunk enough state that instead of listening when your body parts say they’re freezing it’s like “Shut up, torso, we’ll put a shirt on when it’s snowing.”
* “They call it HARD cider, but man does it go down EASY!” That’s what you’ll be saying as you down some delicious Bantam Cider attonight’s BIG Summer Kickoff Party at their Somerville taproom. Break out the shades and flip flops (unless you’re a dude, in which case save the flip flops for the beach and communal showers) and celebrate the launch of Bantam’s Americain cider in a can, plus plenty of other flavors on draft and food from Roxy’s Grilled Cheese and Union Square Donuts. Use the code “theboscalendar” to save 25% on the ticket price.6.4. 7p. $20
* In Company One’s new production of A. Rey Pamatmat’s Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them, 12-year-old Edith, her brother Kenny, and a giant stuffed frog are doing just fine, even with no parents, little food, and nothing in the bank account. The coming-of-age story explores both the wonders of childhood and what it means to be a grown up, which yeah I’ll let you know when I figure out what that is but I think it involves a 401K and re-watching the same NCIS episode you’ve seen four times. The play opens tonight and runs through June 27 at the Boston Center for the Arts. 6.4 to 6.27. 7:30p. $38
* The 1920s equivalent of a social media sensation, the hugely popular New York Evening Sun column “Archy and Mehitabel” featured a poet who was reincarnated as a cockroach and wrote about his adventures with his alley cat sidekick. The column inspired a group of local artists to construct the Blunderwood Portable Giant Typewriter, 20 feet wide and eight feet tall and operated by people climbing on the keys, that will debut at the Figment festival next month. Makes sense, after all whenever you tweet or Facebook or whatever you’re just screaming “I’m a big, big person! Read my big, big thoughts and jokes!!” Help make the project a reality at Friday’s fundraiser at District Hall, featuring music, dancing, art, and a portion of the typewriter to play with. 6.5. 8p. $15
* Cambridge sees your gigantic typewriter, Boston, and raises you a People’s Sculpture Race: A ¾-mile contest between 17 zany wheeled contraptions including a 23-foot giant fish, a square-wheeled sailboat, and a bird-battling cat. Your bet, Somerville. The sculpture race takes offSaturday morning from the Cambridge River Festival, the annual celebration of the arts with six stages of music, theater, and dance; an arts bazaar; food vendors; and two beer gardens to distract you from the fact that you’re on Mass Ave and not the Charles River, due to construction. 6.6. 12p. FREE
* In a lot of ways, food is art: You eat with your eyes, so even if you didn’t realize it, those thinly sliced scallions I sprinkled over your Asian chicken wings really did make them taste even better. And in a lot of ways, art is food: It feeds your soul, man, and hey wait stop eating the art it’s very expensive and paint is probably poisonous. The fourth annual edition of Tavern Road chef Louis DiBicarri’s CREATE Boston festival showcases homegrown talent in the arts, music, and food, with an all-star lineup of chefs and artists, Sunday at the Battery Wharf Hotel. 6.7. 2p. $45
* “Watching Spaceballs on the rooftop patio of a hip music venue and bar” sounds like something you’d make up in an email that wasn’t actually sent from your iPhone. But why lie to prospective dates when you could do it for real? The Sinclair’s Summer Movie Nights series debuts on Tuesday, screening the classic Mel Brooks parody on the outdoor oasis in the middle of Harvard Square. Admission is free (with reservations), but you’ll want to take advantage of movie-themed food and drink specials from the Club Car bar. 6.9. 8p. FREE
* The NBA Finals finally kick off tonight — er, tip off, I mean, there’s no kicking in basketball, even if LeBron flops so much you think you’re watching soccer sometimes. Watch Game 4 next Thursday at the Rally Sports NBA Finals Bash at Bleacher Bar, with plenty of vintage jerseys, product giveaways, and basketball IQ on hand. You can even dress up to win drink tickets for the best random throwback jersey, best Celtics outfit, and shortest ‘80s shorts look. It’s not one of the categories, but I’m going to dress up like LeBron, and by that I mean instead of going to the party I’m taking a two-week vacation in Miami to rest up for the rest of the summer. 6.11. 8p. FREE