365 Things to Do in Boston - New Tips Daily

Boston Playwrights’ Theatre 949 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston MA. June 10, 11, 12 and 17, 18 & 19 at 8:00 PM.

Playwrights’ Platform Summer Annual Festival of New Plays in Boston features some of the best emerging playwrights in the region. These exciting new plays include both comedies and dramas and are acted by some of the most talented actors in Greater Boston, many of them members of The Platform’s Actors-in-Residence group.

Series B – June 18, 19, 20, 8:00 PM
Wheelbarrow by Ron Radice
Oh Daddy, Poor Daddy by Jyl Lynn Felman
The Promise by Regina Eliot-Ramsey
Scene Changes by Donald Tongue
Dispatched by Lida McGirr
Koi by Ellen Davis Sullivan
Round Trip to Monte Carlo by George Matry Masselam
The Yowl of the Wild by Peter Floyd

Showtimes and Tickets
Date: June 10, 11 &12 and 17, 18 & 19, 2010
Time: 8:00 PM
Venue: Boston Playwrights' Theatre, 949 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02466
Tickets: $17 ($14 for seniors, students, NOMTI, Stage Source Members & BPT subscribers)
Box Office - 866-811-4111
Purchase Tickets Online: http://www.playwrightsplatform.org/festiv...
Official Site: http://www.playwrightsplatform.org/f...

Grease your hair up, roll up your sleaves and get your groove on, or sing on for that matter, because tonight is the Hatch's first movie of the summer season: "Grease, A Sing Along".

Movies start at dusk. Bring a blanket or lawn chair, some popcorn and enjoy this family-friendly event.

July Films:
Friday July 9: "The Wizard of Oz"
Friday July 16: "Star Trek"
Friday July 23: "Where the Wild Things Are"
Friday July 30: "Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs"

 August Films:
Friday August 6: "Monsters vs. Aliens"
Friday August 13: "How to Train Your Dragon"
Friday August 20: "The Princess and the Frog"
Friday August 27: "Up"

To find out more about this awesome on-going summer event, or to even read up on a little bit of the Hatch's history check outthe Hatch's website.

Also, if Grease isn't your thing, the Boston Harbor Hotel, at the Blues Barge, Rowes Wharf, will be presenting outdoor movies as well. Tonight will be "Driving Miss Daisy" with Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman. Starting at dusk. To find more information about this visit www.bhh.com.

I love a good game of Bocce Ball! The Boston Harbor Association will host a bocce tournament for young professionals from 5-8pm, Thursday, June 17, at Joe's American Bar and Grille, 100 Atlantic Ave.
Following the bocce games and prizes, there will be free hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar. This is a free event, but reservations are required. Send an e-mail to mail@tbha.org.

Now if I could find some people out here that play Koob I would be set!

Sail Boston Inc, has invited the Spanish tall ship Juan Sebastian de Dlcano to Boston. The ship with be berthed at Seaport World Trade Center and will be open to the public during its visit.

Public Visiting Hours are:

Public visiting hours:

And don't forget the 2010 Boston Harbor Parade of Lights this Saturday. Held from 8:30pm to 10pm. Which is a fleet of lighted and themed commercial and personal sailing vessels that gather and parade through the Boston Harbor. Viewing will be from all spots along Boston's HarborWalk.

For more information, visit the website www.sailboston.com.

The Prudential Center, 800 Boylston Street, is hosting a Berklee College summer concert at noon today. Berklee College of Music's five-piece ensemble Tubby Love will entertain with soul and reggae sounds. Admission is FREE.

For more information, check out Berklee's website...and if you want to hear some of Tubby Love's music because you can't wait, check out his MySpace page.

Visit the world's largest walk-in globe, The Mapparium. (Known as one of Boston's most quirkiest landmarks).

Located at the Mary Baker Eddy Library in the Christian Science Plaza, enjoy this three story model of the globe built to scale. 30 feet in diameter, travel by way of glass bridge through the center, and test out the acoustics. 

However, keep in mind that this piece of art was built in 1935, and a lot of things have changed since then.

Located at 200 Massachusetts Avenue at Clearway Street
Open: 10am-4pm Tuesday-Sunday
Admission Cost: $6.

Spanning nearly 2300 years, the Dragon Boat Festival transforms old traditions into an exciting sporting and cultural event, right here on the Charles River. Arts and crafts demonstrations. Tasty Asian foods. Free admission. Come join the fun of North America's longest running Dragon Boat Festival! Basically ALL day today. Click here to see the full schedule.

The story behind the dragon:

Traditionally held on the fifth day of the fifth moon on the lunar calendar -- late May to mid June on the solar calendar (June 27th for 2009) -- the Dragon Boat Festival commemorates the life and death of the ancient patriot-poet Qu Yuan who lived from 340-278 B.C. Qu Yuan was a minister who advocated reforms in his home state of Chu. The King refused to listen to Qu Yuan's advice and instead banished him from the state of Chu. In exile, Qu Yuan wrote poetry expressing his concern for his country and people. In 278, when Qu Yuan heard that his home had been invaded, he drowned himself in the Mi Lo River.

The people of Chu rushed to the river to rescue him. Too late to save Qu Yuan, they splashed furiously and threw zung-ze, steamed rice wrapped in reed leaf, into the river as a sacrifice to his spirit and to keep the fish from Qu Yuan's body.

Since that time, some 2,000 years ago, dragon boats are raced on rivers in China and people throw zung-ze into the river to honor the memory of Qu Yuan.

Even before Qu Yuan, the fifth moon was a time of danger. With the hot and wet weather of the summer came the perils of plagues and diseases. Parents embroidered designs of tigers eating poisonous insects on children's clothing to protect them from evil spirits. In addition, children wore herb and spice filled amulets around their necks to ward off insects. Chinese people consider themselves to be the descendants of dragons and so during the fifth moon feel it is appropriate to paddle boats with dragon designs and make sacrifices of zung-ze to cajole the river dragons.

Join in on the festivities today!

Boston's 40th pride parade is TODAY! The parade is heartily enodrsed by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, Gov. Deval PAtrick and give or take 12,000 marchers and more than half a million spectators. (This was last years estimate).

Mainstream sponsors include Macy's, historic Faneuil Hall Marketplace and Boston's Convention and Visitors Bureau. 

A pride festival on City Hall Plaza starts at noon as the parade begins in the South End on Tremont Street at Clarendon. It ends at City Hall around 3pm. 

A noon City Hall Plaza flag raising will be June 4. Pride day at Faneuil Hall is June 5. A tea dance for seniors is June 6 in Brookline. June 10 has a 7 p.m. rally on Boston Common. The week includes block parties and other events.

For more information and for the route and parade details check out helloboston.com.

Bring it ON!! A Strawberry Dessert Festival? Strawberry Dessert Fest is a fun and tasty fundraiser for the 200-plus farmers markets state-wide. When you order a strawberry dessert from one of our participating restaurants or bakeries, you'll be doing good for local farmers -- berry good!-- and treating your taste buds at the same time.

From June 11 -- July 4th, the following eateries will donate a percentage of sales from specially prepared strawberry desserts to the Federation of Mass Farmers Markets:(We just listed the local Boston eateries, to see the full list, check out mass farmers market).

• Beacon Hill Bistro (Boston)
• The Beehive (Boston)
• Bistro 5 (Medford)
• Burton's Grill (Boston location only)
• Cuisine en Locale's ONCE Cheese event, June 19 (Cambridge)
• Evoo (Cambridge)The Fireplace (Brookline)
• Garden at the Cellar (Cambridge)
• Harvest (Cambridge)
• Henrietta's Table (Cambridge)
• Highland Kitchen (Somerville)
• KO Prime (Boston)
• Lineage (Brookline)
• North 26 (Boston)
• Oleana (Cambridge)
• Post 390 (Boston)
• Sofra Bakery & Café (Cambridge)
• The Summer Shack (Boston + Cambridge locations)

Mmmmmm....strawberries.....

If you're in the Back Bay area today, and have a little time to kill after lunch head over to the library. Did you know that Boston's Public Library hosts live music throughout the week? Get your swing on this afternoon at 2pm-4pm in the Rabb Lecture Hall with Bombay Jim & the Swinging Sapphires.

Admission is FREE. Located at 700 Bolyston Street. Click here to see more events the Boston Public Library holds.