By Mary Kate DePamphilis mk@nobomagazine.com Happy spring, NoBo! Although it may not seem as if the season is really here, I assure you it is. So, let’s all ignore this weather nonsense, and carry on with visions of flower buds, green grass, Easter eggs, and warm temperatures. At least daylight savings time has made our days longer! With lots more light and energy, get out to one of these great Go Local venues, and enjoy one of these fantastic events from across the region! Eat, Tweet, Make Art Step into the future of the region’s arts scene with an evening of cutting-edge creativity. This month, The Peabody Essex Museum joins forces with local economic initiative Creative Salem as they celebrate their first year with dynamic future-focused activities. This month’s edition of PEM/PM includes a performance by Br1ght Pr1mate with their “danceable electro-pop” on hacked videogame components (sounds interesting!), and the Eternal Lotus Dancers will light the night with LED in motion (sounds even more interesting!). Social media experts will also be on hand to help artists and creative types better manage their online footprint. Click here to read the NoBo post about this event! When? Thursday, March 21st, 6:30PM to 9:30pm Where? Peabody Essex Museum, 161 Essex Street, Salem Cost? FREE for members, $10 for non-members. No reservations required. Cooking Class: Country Breads & Stews with Chef Carolyn Join Chef Carolyn and other cooks-to-be in NoBo’s first shared-use commercial kitchen, Kitchen Local. You will learn the tips, techniques, and joys of homemade bread-baking, along with fun recipes for delicious country stews. A yummy match made in heaven! Class includes hands-on participation with instruction, recipe booklet, and a wonderful meal (not just a tasting!) at the end of the evening. You will even leave with a take-home food gift! Come by yourself or bring your friends. You will definitely learn a lot and leave happy and full. Bon Appétit! When? Thursday, March 21st, 6 to 9PM Where? Kitchen Local, 14 Cedar Street, #105, Amesbury Cost? $60 per person; register directly at www.carolynsfarmkitchen.com or email to farmcook1@verizon.net. Hot Salsa Night at Seaglass That hot salsa goes for the food and the dancing! Bring a date and learn the sultry art of Latin dance with Greg Cole’s School of Dance and Drum. NoBo’s premier instructor Coles studied with NYC’s famed choreographer Alvin Ailey and he will be offering a free lesson for guests at 8pm. This is a great opportunity to learn something new and get closer to your date! If you are not adventurous enough to dance, you can at least join the flavorful music from 7:30-10pm. To compliment the spicy moves, enjoy some great food, too. The restaurant will be offering very yummy $5 seafood tacos. Choose from chili lime shrimp, lobster mango, blackened haddock, spa style salmon, and spicy scallop. And if you need to get a little loose before hitting the dance floor, there will be a margarita special, just $19.99 for a pitcher of 4. That will get you in the mood to groove! When? Thursday, March 21st, 7:30PM to 10PM Where? Seaglass Restaurant, 4 Oceanfront North, Salisbury Cost? FREE admission to dance lesson; Food prices vary Friends Fighting Breast Cancer Sparkling Soiree Join Friends Fighting Breast Cancer at the beautiful Peabody Essex Museum for a night of delicious food, live music, silent auction and much more. Proceeds from this event will support breast cancer research at Massachusetts’ General Hospital. Popular local band Clockwork (they are fantastic!) will be providing entertainment, while Vinwood Catering will be entertaining your taste buds with heavy hors d’oeuvres, light fare food stations, and a creative coffee and dessert station (think pink frosting!) Friends Fighting Breast Cancer was founded in 1996 by Janet Connolly O’Neill and longtime friend and neighbor, Fran Gilardi. The organization was composed of family, friends and those touched by the disease and continues on in the same vein and with the same mission, to one day find a cure for breast cancer. With only twenty members, FFBC is small in size but overflowing with ambition and energy. The committee is composed of individuals who have lost a loved one to breast cancer, those who know someone who has battled the disease or is now in remission and those who simply want to make a difference. FFBC members all work full-time, yet give countless hours and months to solicit items for silent auctions, raffles and sponsors for the events, working tirelessly toward making breast cancer history. Their past success and future potential is due to the hard work, dedication and passion of these individuals. If you want to make it a real night out and have some late night fun, there are discounted hotel rooms available under room blocks at the Hawthorne Hotel and the Salem Waterfront Hotel. Just make sure you mention “Friends Fighting Breast Cancer.” Both hotels have parking available and are within walking distance to the Peabody Essex Museum. Support this important cause that combats this awful disease that touches so many of our lives while having a special evening amongst friends. When? Saturday, March 23rd from 7PM to 12AM Where? Peabody Essex Museum, 161 Salem Street, Salem Cost? Tickets are $100; To purchase, click here. For more information on this amazing non-profit, visit http://friendsfightingbreastcancer.org/. Celtic Concert Featuring Fellswater Just when you thought St. Patrick’s Day was over, your luck lingers on! If you didn’t have a chance to celebrate this year’s green holiday or are just left wanting more, we have something for you. The Community House in Hamilton will be hosting its Annual Celtic Concert featuring Fellswater, this weekend. The performance will start off with an opening set by The Knotty Celts, before the ever-popular Fellswater takes the stage. Fellswater is a four piece Celtic ensemble that plays a wide range of music, drawing from the heritage of all the Celtic nations, especially Scotland, Ireland, Brittany and Canada. Depending on the musical selection, Instrumentation may include whistle, flute, guitar, mandolin, bouzouki, violin, small pipes, and border pipes. Your inner leprechaun will be step-dancing to the beat! When? Saturday, March 23rd, 7:30pm Where? The Community House, 284 Bay Road, Route 1A, Hamilton Cost? $15 Advance Ticket, $18 At The Door. Call 978-468-4818 for more info. Broadway on Essex: Dinner Theater Enjoy an old-fashioned evening of Broadway-themed entertainment while enjoying dinner! Maria’s Restaurant is bringing back the fun pastime of dinner theater! Spotlight Playhouse has invited some of the finest performers in the NoBo region to sing for your supper. You will undoubtedly hear many of your favorite show tunes and are very likely to walk away humming a few new songs as well. Spend a fantastic Saturday evening enjoying dinner, drinks and Broadway entertainment! The mission and vision of the Spotlight Playhouse is to provide professional quality theatre, educational endeavors, creative outlets, and an artistic voice for the community within an inclusive environment. Their goal is to become the premiere theatre organization in the Merrimack Valley. When? Saturday, March 23rd; Dinner at 6:15PM, show at 7:30PM Where? The Galleria at Maria’s Restaurant, 83-85 Essex Street, Haverhill Cost? $35 per person which includes full dinner, dessert, & coffee. A full cash bar will also be available. Reserve tickets by calling (978) 380-8509 or e-mailing tickets@spotlightplayhouse.org.