January 2009

CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS

Get ready for First Night Worcester 2009 - where the arts make magic! With over 100 performances, the celebration features something for everyone. Beginning at 3 p.m., enjoy ventriloquist Sylvia and Her Magic Trunk, Casey Carl’s Bubblemania, storytelling, and special activities at the Worcester Art Museum, Center for Crafts, and EcoTarium. Vanishing Point master illusionists will perform at Mechanics Hall, and Hanover Theatre will present the extraordinary high-tech juggling of Lazer Vaudeville. Other event highlights include: indoor kite flying and the Global Village at the DCU Center, featuring international music, dance, crafts and food, and the largest origami sculpture ever – a model of Union Station – created with 100,000 business cards! Early fireworks are at 6:30 p.m. Burn New Year wishes in the Resolution Fire at 11:30 p.m., prior to the midnight fireworks. First Night buttons are $10 through 12/24; $12 from 12/25-12/31; $15 at the door; children 10 and under FREE. Visit www.firstnightworcester.org or call 508-799-4909.

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MARTHA'S VINEYARD

It's Chili time again! The 23rd annual WMVY Big Chili Contest on Saturday, January 24, 2009 is the place to be to warm up on a chilly winter day. Get out that recipe or just come to sample all the many different kinds of chili. This is always a fun day for all! Event runs from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Live entertainment includes The Mariachi Band. Proceeds benefit the Red Stocking Fund. Call 508-693-5000 for more information.

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FRANKLIN COUNTY

Crabgrass Puppet Theater presents "The Last Dragon on Earth" Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Shea Theater in Turner Falls. This modern day fairy tale features dragons, knights, princes, automobiles and of all things, jazz music! Adapted from E. Nesbit’s book “The Last of the Dragons,” this larger than life puppet show is a wonderful introduction to the concept of species extinction and community problem solving. For information or reservations, call 413-863-2281 or email shea@valinet.com.

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PLYMOUTH COUNTY

A Charles H. Harper Poetry Reading will be held Sunday, January 4, 2009 in the Otto Fehlow Meeting Room of Plymouth Public Library on South Street in Plymouth. Chuck Harper, local Tidepool Poet, will be reading a selection of poetry from his newly published book entitled, "Sorting Things Out." This free event will be held at 2 p.m. Snow date is January 6th at 7 p.m. For more information, call 508-830-4250 or visit
www.plymouthpubliclibrary.org.

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GREATER BOSTON

The 18th Annual Boston Wine Expo will be held January 23-25, 2009 at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston. The expo is the largest trade and consumer wine event in the country. Sample wines from over 450 international wineries in one location. Some 1,800 wines in all! Watch over 15 celebrity chefs in action and taste samples. Attend one of over 25 educational seminars. For more information, and to buy tickets, visit www.wine-expos.com/boston.

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MOHAWK TRAIL REGION

The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown presents “The Art of the Pastel” now through February 16, 2009. This special installation, featuring pastels from the permanent collection, highlights the range of styles and subjects explored by nineteenth-century artists using this delicate yet spirited technique, and includes works by Edgar Degas, Jean-François Millet, Camille Pissarro, and Mary Cassatt. The Clark's outstanding collection of pastels has been an important feature since the museum's founding.

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GREATER MERRIMACK VALLEY

The 25th Anniversary Colonial Classic Synchronized Skating Competition will be held January 9-11, 2009 at Lowell’s beautiful Tsongas Arena. Experience the excitement of the best synchronized skating event in the Northeast! Call 978-848-6900. On January 25, the Andover Choral Society Presents Mendelssohn's "ELIJAH" at the Rogers Center for the Arts at Merrimack College. Enjoy Mendelssohn's fiery choral work and one of the greatest oratorios ever composed. 3 p.m. Call 978-688-6353 for tickets.

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SOUTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS

On January 3-4, 2009, the New Bedford Whaling Museum hosts the 13th Annual Moby Dick: The Marathon, a nonstop reading of the great American classic commemorating the anniversary of the departure from the whaling port of New Bedford of the Fairhaven ship Acushnet with 21-year-old Herman Melville aboard. Readers will include descendants of Herman Melville and their families, professors, fishermen, schoolteachers, selectmen, students, journalists, legislators, physicians, clergy, and other lovers of Melville and Moby-Dick. Admission is free.

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NANTUCKET ISLAND

Food For Thought Community Lunch and Lecture Series, a free “brown bag” luncheon lecture series, will be given by notable Nantucketers with the theme of “Writing About Nantucket” in January. On January 22nd, Mary Jennings and Lucretia Voigt will discuss “Literary Nantucket.” On January 29th, renowned Nantucket author Nat Philbrick, will discuss "Fifteen Years Later: Collecting Characters (and Community) in Away Off Shore." For more information, contact the Nantucket Historical Association at 508-228-1894 or visit www.nha.org.

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GREATER SPRINGFIELD

Springfield’s Symphony Hall presents “Footloose – 10th Anniversary Tour” on January 7, 2009. Based on the famous 1984 movie starring Kevin Bacon, “Footloose” offers theater-goers an evening of great music and energy from a dazzling cast. The story follows Ren, who moves from Chicago to a small farming town that bans dancing, and his frustrations in dealing with the mind-set of the town’s inhabitants. For tickets, call 413-788-7033 or visit www.citystage.symphonyhall.com.

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THE BERKSHIRES

Winter in the Berkshires is enriching! If you’re not skiing on area slopes, consider visiting other engaging events, including Simon Starling: The Nanjing Particles, December 13, 2008-October 31, 2009, at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in North Adams. Explore Feigenbaum Hall of Innovation at the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield. View all 322 covers of Saturday Evening Post at Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge. Attend a concert at The Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield or Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington.

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NORTH OF BOSTON

Rockport Music invites you to a concert by pianist Gilles Vonsattel, who has performed in Boston, New York, San Francisco, Paris and Tokyo. The Julliard-trained musician was top prizewinner at the 2006 Geneva International Music Competition and has been heard on National Public Radio. His solo recital of French music (including Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit) will be at the Rockport Congregational Church at 8 p.m. on January 10. Visit www.rcmf.org and www.escapesnorth.com for music, arts, culture and more.

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CAPE COD

On January 24-25, 2009, don’t miss the 20th Annual Cape & Islands Orchid Show at the Seacrest Resort in North Falmouth. This annual winter show highlights displays and an amazing variety of this beautiful flower! Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra’s Classical Series continues January 24-25 with “The Creation,” which fuses an orchestra led by Conductor Jung-Ho Pak with three vocal soloists and the world-renowned Gloriae Dei Cantores. Visit www.capesymphony.org for tickets and times for this performance at the BHS Performing Arts Center in Hyannis.

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