Sudbury Massachusetts 2018 Summer Free Concert Series

Sudbury Park & Recreation has announced their 2018 free Summer Concert series along with a rain location at the Fairbanks Center Community Gym.

2018 Performance Lineup

July 9: Country Night With Jimmy Conner

July 16: Angry Bees

July 23, 6:30-8:30 p.m.: *Family fun night* with Debbie and Friends; The Friends of Broadway; and the Chinese-American Association of Sudbury

July 30: Cover tunes with The Paul Rodriguez Band

Aug. 6: Oldies with The Reminisants

For comfort I suggest a blanket or chairs when attending these summer concerts.  Concerts are scheduled for Monday nights beginning at 7pm. Unless it rains you will find the concerts at Haskell Field (at the corner of Hudson Rd and Fairbanks Rd), and are designed to be family friendly.

Free Fun Fridays in July 2018

The Highland Street Foundation has a busy month scheduled for July.

July 6

Boston Children's Museum
Peabody Essex Museum
Cape Cod Maritime Museum
Battleship Cove
Amelia Park Children's Museum
Gore Place
Falmouth Museums on the Green
Hancock Shaker Village
Pilgrim Hall Museum
New England Quilt Museum


July 13

Edward M. Kennedy Institute
Charles River Watershed Association
Larz Anderson Auto Museum
Chesterwood
The Telephone Museum
Venfort Hall and Gilded Age Museum
Sports Museum
Children's Museum of Holyoke
International Volleyball Hall of Fame
Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center


July 20

Museum of Fine Arts
Gloucester Stage Company
The Gardens at Elm Bank
Chatham Shark Center
New Bedford Whaling Museum
Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association
Spellman Museum of Stamps and Postal History
Springfield Museums
Discovery Museums
The Hall at Patriot's Place


July 27

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Tanglewood
Commonwealth Shakespeare
JFK Hyannis Museum
Fitchburg Art Museum 
Old Colony History Museum
Boston Athenaeum
Sandwich Glass Museum
Arnold Arboretum
Museum of Russian Icons

Free Fun Fridays June 29, 2018

The Highland Foundation is kicking off their first Free Fun Friday of the year on June 29, 2018. Check out the venues being offered this year and for more information about other Free Fun Fridays see their website here.


Lyric Stage Company of Boston
MIT Museum
Berkshire Theater Group
Nantucket Whaling Museum
The Mount: Edith Wharton’s Home
Concord Museum
Worcester Art Museum
Clark Art Institute
Children's Museum in Easton
Edward Gorey House

Free Fun Fridays in Massachusetts 2018

The Highland Group is back again sponsoring Free Fun Fridays this summer. The program provides free entrance each Friday to different museums, zoos, theater and other attractions to residents and visitors in Massachusetts during the months of June, July and August. The first event is June 29 the last is August 31. You can check out the Free Fun Fridays Website for the schedule of attractions on each date.

I would also suggest checking with the attractions to find out if there are any additional costs for specific programs you may be interested in at the location. I know with other offers only admission is covered additional programs are generally at the cost of the person attending. With some venues all that is required is admission and you have full access to everything. With others, like the Museum of Science there is plenty to see for the cost of admission, but more available at an additional cost. I have not read anything about specific events associated with attendees of Free Fridays. Calling ahead can provide you with more information.

For those who plan on utilizing other pass or discount options, you may also want to be aware of these dates as you can expect there to be higher traffic on these Fridays. If you have other options, you may want to choose another date for your visit to find a less crowded venue.

Blue Star Museums 2018

The Blue Star Museum program begins again over Memorial Day and will continue through Labor Day. The program offers free admission at participating museums to all active duty, reserve, and National Guard military personnel and their families. The program operates around the country and the website provides an interactive map you can use to locate venues here.

As always, I suggest checking out the site you want to visit before traveling there to get more information.

When I checked out this year's list, the following Massachusetts sites were participating:

Acton:
The Discovery Museums

Amesbury:
Lowell's Boat Shop

Amherst:
Beneski Museum of Natural History
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

Attleboro:
Attleboro Arts Museum
Mass Audubon at Oak Knoll Wildlife Sanctuary

Barnstable:
Mass Audubon at Long Pasture Wildlife Santuary

Belmont:
Mass Audubon at Habitat Education Center

Beverly:
Historic Beverly

Boston:
Historic New England Otis House Museum
Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Nichols House Museum
Old South Meeting House
The Mary Baker Eddy Library
The Sports Museum
USS Constitution Museum
Willaim Hickling Prescott House/NSCDA

Cambridge:
Harvard Museum of Natural History
MIT List Visual Arts Center Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology/Harvard

Canton:
Mass Audubon at Museum of American Bird Art

Clinton:
Museum of Russian Icons

Deerfield:
Historic Deerfield
Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association

Duxbury:
Duxbury Rural & Historical Society

Easthampton:
Mass Audubon at Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary

Edgartown:
Martha's Vineyard Museum Mass Audubon at Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary

Essex:
Cogswell's Grant
Essex Shipbuilding Museum

Gloucester:
Cape Ann Museum
Sargent House Museum

Granville:
NCCHP:

Haverhill:
Buttonwoods Museum

Holyoke:
Wistariahurst

Hyannis:
John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum

Ipswich:
Ipswich Museum

Lenox:
Mass Audubon at Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary

Lincoln:
Mass Audubon at Drumlin Farm

Marshfield:
1699 Winslow House Museum
Mass Audubon at North River Wildlife Sanctuary

Mattapan:
Mass Audubon at Boston Nature Center

Medford:
Royall House and Slave Quarters

Milton:
Mass Audubon at Blue Hills Trailside Museum

Nantucket:
Nantucket Historical Association
Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association
Nantucket Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum

Natick:
Mass Audubon at Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary

New Bedford:
New Bedford Art Museum/ArtWorks!
New Bedford Whaling Museum

Newburyport:
Mass Audubon at Joppa Flats Education Center:

Newton:
Durant-Kenrick House and Grounds of Historic Newton
Jackson Homestead and Museum
Norfolk:
Mass Audubon at Stony Brook Wildlife Sanctuary

North Andover:
North Andover Historical Society

North Easton:
Children's Museum in Easton

Northampton:
Smith College Museum of Art

Princeton:
Mass Audubon at Wachusett Meadow

Salem:
Peabody Essex Museum

South Wellfleet:
Mass Audubon at Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary
Springfield:
Springfield Museums

Stockbridge:
Norman Rockwell Museum

Taunton:
Old Colony History Museum

Topsfield:
Mass Audubon at Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary

Waltham:
Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation
Historic New England Lyman Estate

Wenham:
Wenham Museum

Westport:
Mass Audubon at Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary

Williamstown:
Clark Art Institute
Williams College Museum of Art

Worcester:
Mass Audubon at Broad Meadow Brook
Worcester Art Museum

Yarmouth Port:
Edward Gorey House
Historic New England Winslow Crocker House

August Free Fun Friday Events 2012

The Highland Street Foundation is offering free fun Friday events during the summer until August 31 at a variety of venues. You can check out their website here. For best results I would suggest consulting with the venue's website to confirm what events are being offered on that date as well as any restrictions. Plan ahead, these events can be very popular and very crowded.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 3

Museum of Fine Arts Boston in Boston

Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge

Amelia Park Children's Museum in Westfield

Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton

Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain

FRIDAY, AUGUST 10

Battleship Cove in Fall River

Berkshire Museumin Pittsfield

Cape Cod Children's Museum in Mashpee

Fruitlands Museum in Harvard

The Sports Museum in Boston

FRIDAY, AUGUST 17

Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston

Edward Gorey House in Yarmouth Port

New Bedford Whaling Museum in New Bedford

Garden in the Woods in Framingham

Concord Museum in Concord

FRIDAY, AUGUST 24

Boston Harbor Island Alliance in Boston

USS Constitution Museum in Charlestown

American Textile Museum in Lowell

Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge

Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield

FRIDAY, AUGUST 31

John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum in Boston

Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth

The Discovery Museums in Acton

MASS MoCA in North Adams

EcoTarium in Worcester

June 2012 Free Fun Friday Events

The Highland Street Foundation is again sponsoring Free Fun Friday Events starting with one Friday in June.



FRIDAY, JUNE 29

Tanglewood in Lenox

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston

Peabody Essex Museum in Salem

Heritage Museums and Gardens in Sandwich

Museum of African American History in Boston and Nantucket

As always I suggest you check with the venues to find out more about what programs are being offered. You can check out other Free Friday offerings at their website here.

Blue Star Museums 2012

The Blue Star Museum program has launched again for 2012. The program began May 28 and will end Labor Day, Monday September 3. Participating Museums provide free admission for active duty personnel and their family. On the website you will find a map that provides a listing by state of the sites participating here. I am not sure why, but I found the map worked better in when I ran it in Firefox rather than Internet Explorer. As always, I suggest checking with the site you want to visit to get more information, prior to your day of travel.

As of this writing, the following Massachusetts venues were listed as participants:

Acton
The Discovery Museums

Amesbury
Lowell's Boat Shop

Amherst
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art
Mead Art Museum at Amherst College

Andover
Addison Gallery of American Art

Attleboro
Attleboro Arts Museum

Beverly
Beverly Historical Society

Boston
Historic New England Boston
Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Massachusetts Historical Society
Museum of Fine Arts
National Society of Colonial Dames of America in Massachusetts
Nichols House Museum
Old South Meeting House
USS Constitution Museum
Waterworks Museum
The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston

Cambridge
Harvard Art Museums
Harvard Museum of Natural History
Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology

Clinton
Museum of Russian Icons

Concord
Concord Museum
Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House

Dedham
The Fairbanks House

Edgartown
Martha's Vineyard Museum

Fitchburg
Top Fun Aviation Toy Museum

Harvard
Fruitlands Museum

Haverhill
Haverhill Firefighting Museum

Hingham
Hingham Historical Society

Lincoln
deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum

Lowell
Whistler House Museum of Art

Lynn
Lynn Museum and Historical Society

Mashpee
The Cape Cod Children's Museum

N. Easton
Ames Mansion - Friends of Borderland

Nahant
Nahant Historical Society

Nantucket
African Meeting House; Museum of African American History
Egan Maritime Institute
Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association
Nantucket Historical Association

New Bedford
New Bedford Whaling Museum
Rotch-Jones-Duff House & Garden Museum

Newton
Historic Newton

North Andover
North Andover Historical Society

North Easton
Children's Museum in Easton

North Grafton
The Willard House & Clock Museum

Pittsfield
Berkshire Museum

Rehoboth
Carpenter Museum

Roxbury
The Shirley-Eustis House Museum

Salem
Peabody Essex Museum
Salem Museum

Sandwich
Heritage Museums & Gardens

Springfield
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Springfield Museums

Stockbridge
Norman Rockwell Museum

Taunton
Old Colony Historical Society

Waltham
Gore Place

Watertown
Historical Society of Watertown

Wenham
Wenham Museum

Williamstown
Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute

Worcester
EcoTarium
Worcester Art Museum
Worcester Historical Museum

Yarmouth Port
Edward Gorey House

Marlborough Heritage Festival

This Sunday, October 2 the City of Marlborough and the Marlborough Chamber of Commerce will be hosting the 16th Annual Marlborough Heritage Festival from 10AM-3PM. You can preview the event at their website. While not a fan of chowder, the contest being one of the larger draws, there are lots of other things to see. There are children's activities, music, entertainment, vendors, and a food court for visitors. The City will be returning with the trucks for children to explore.

Those not attending should be aware that traffic will be diverted around the fair area so alternative plans should be made for Sunday. Main Street is closed to on the day of the Festival between Rt. 85 and Florence Street.

This event is not as large as some of the other town days in the area, but it is one of Marlborough's main events. I have read about this festival for years, even before its name change. We have always had a scheduling conflict. This year we our schedule is free and we have decided to check it out.

Marlborough's Labor Day Parade

Marlborough, Massachusetts’ annual Labor Day Parade kicks off on Monday, September 5th at noon. You can visit their website if you have any questions about the event.

Growing up in this area, I am ashamed to admit I never knew Marlborough had a Labor Day parade until about eight years ago. Now we have come to enjoy it as an annual end of summer event.

It is one of the shortest parades in the area. Having walked it a few times, this has never been an issue for me.

If you are looking for something fun to do with your family in the Metrowest area of Massachusetts, the parade is always a fun free event.

The parade route follows from the intersection of Pleasant and Lincoln Streets, down Lincoln and Broad to West Main Street, through the downtown area, turns on to Route 85, finishing on John Street. We always arrive early to set up a good spot.

This year’s theme is "Our Children Our Future."