The Boston Traveler

This is a guest post from Mary Jo Manzanares, b5media’s Travel & Culture Channel Editor and travel blogger at Flyaway Cafe.
Where else but Salem would Halloween become a month long event?
The city that has made a cottage industry of witchcraft pulls no punches this Halloween, as it launches its month of Haunted Happenings. It’s a combination of an autumn event, celebrating the changing leaves and cooler weather, with the spirit of Halloween, complete with accompanying ghosts, goblins, witches and folklore.
The Halloween events are all found in historic downtown Salem, and it’s easy to walk from one venue to the next. …read more

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Boston is the place to be this Saturday, August 2, when the fifth annual Peace Hip Hop Festival kicks off on City Hall Plaza from 4pm to 8pm.
Among the event’s many highlights is the scheduled appearance of hip-hop artists EPMD (which stands for “Erick and Parrish Making Dollars,” in case you’re curious), also known as New York emcees Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith. The East Coast hip-hop specialists’ partnership goes all the way back to 1988. And if that’s not enough — and I can’t imagine why it wouldn’t be — Chubb Rock and Das EFX are also …read more

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Iconic Grateful Dead musician Jerry Garcia passed away on August 9, 1995, but his death hasn’t stopped or even lessened the adoration his many fans still feel for him. Case in point: This Friday, the Boston branch of the famous restaurant Hard Rock Cafe will host a birthday bash in honor of Garcia’s August 1 birth date. And it will only cost you $15 to attend.
If Garcia was still alive, he would be 66 years old on Friday. To celebrate, Hard Rock Cafe has booked local Grateful Dead tribute band Playin’ Dead to headline a concert that …read more

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Movie buffs have yet another venue to check out this weekend for some intriguing films normally unavailable at local multiplexes. Made possible through a collaboration of Arts, Culture & Trade (ACT) Roxbury and Color of Film Collaborative, the 2008 edition of the Roxbury Film Festival presents a program of movies featuring the work of people of color.
The tenth annual festival will run until Sunday night, August 3, with a stellar lineup screened in Cambridge and Boston-area theaters, many augmented by Q&A sessions with the actors and filmmakers responsible for creating the movies.
Weekend highlights include:
Friday: “Jellysmoke,” which stars Michael …read more

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First it was the Bard days on Boston Common, and now it’s the Bard days in Harvard Square. From Friday, August 1, to Sunday, August 3, the Harvard Square Business Association will host Shakespeare in the Square.
The free outdoor theatrical performances will feature the work of the Actors Shakespeare Project, American Repertory Theatre, and Revels. On the schedule are:
Shakespeare Slams: Eighteen performers from the American Repertory Theatre’s A.R.T. Institute for Advanced Theatre Training use culture, movement, and music to make Shakespeare more appealing to a varied modern audience. The “Boston Globe” calls it “[t]heatre that cries out …read more

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Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art has a series of fun, interesting, and free summer events coming up in the next couple of weeks that are appropriate for the entire family, as well as both residents and visitors.
Harborwalk Sounds

July 31 — Soul and jazz music with Sol Melodiq
August 7 — Groove music with Zach Hillyard Band
August 14 — Funk, Jazz, and Soul music with Cole Degenova
*All concerts are from 6pm–8:30pm and have limited space

Summer Stages Dance — Sara Rudner
Dancing-on-View: The ICA Variations
Choreographer Sara Rudner performs a four-hour celebration of dance on Saturday, July 26, and Sunday, July 27, from 12–4pm. …read more

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On Tuesday, August 5, the South End hotspot The Beehive will entertain guests with a unique performance by Pinchbottom Burlesque from 9pm to 1am. There’s no cover charge to get in on the fun, and a cash bar will be available.
Pinchbottom Burlesque is a New York production company formed by the performing duo Nasty Canasta, who hails from Boston, and Jonny Porkpie. Together, they present themed burlesque shows for audiences that combine striptease with assorted other acts relevant to the theme of the moment, which also includes a plot and a script, just like a regular old stage …read more

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Tomorrow evening from 5pm to 8pm at One City Hall Plaza, Boston will host its ninth GospelFest, a free music showcase that features the inspiring sounds of contemporary and traditional gospel performers from both near and far.
Boston’s local gospel scene will be represented by LeRoy Streat with Grace. The group specializes in the Christian worship music that Streat has been writing, playing, and producing for more than fifteen years, in addition to his work leading music ministries both in the United States and abroad. The local presence is increased by Major Choirboy, a native of Houston, Texas, and …read more

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It’s almost time to head over to Boston Common and play like a kid, even if you’re not one.
From 11am to 6pm on Saturday, July 19, downtown Boston will host the Life is good Festival, an annual summer event guaranteed to make residents and visitors alike feel pretty darn good, no matter what their age.
The fundraiser, always free of charge to the general public, features a number of physical activities that reflect the infectious spirit and energy of youth. One of the most popular is the competition to be crowned the World’s Greatest Backyard Athlete, a victory that announces …read more

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Tomorrow, July 17, from 6pm to 9pm, Forest Hills Cemetery will celebrate the 10th anniversary of its annual Lantern Festival. The ceremony is based on the Japanese Obon or Bon Festival, a Buddhist-inspired Japanese tradition that allows family members to honor the spirits of deceased ancestors and remember their departed loved ones. Residents of Japan have observed the family reunion-style custom, widely known as the Feast of Lanterns outside of the country, for more than a half century.
At Forest Hills Cemetery’s sunset version of the festival, participants set paper lanterns they’ve created and decorated themselves afloat on Lake …read more

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