Our long-lost friend, the Weekend Guide, is back!
We live in a region that is full of options and opportunities and making a curated list of things to do each weekend is one of my favourite things to do for my readers. What I get in return is a feeling of satisfaction and joy when I see all your photos on Facebook or Instagram at the various events around town. Keep them coming! 
Friday
CORRECTION – I originally had the MFA Overnight Launch party starting on Friday. It is actually Saturday to Sunday.
9/16 8:00 p.m. (Lexington) If an all night party reminds you of those Woodstock nights then maybe you’ll want to check out Grammy winners Peter Yarrow and Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul and Mary when they perform this Friday at Cary Hall in Lexington. ($59 – $79)
9/16 6:00-8:30 p.m. (Boston)- It is Family Dinner Night at the Boston Public Market. Head into The KITCHEN at the Boston Public Market with your family, whoever that includes, but especially good for children 6 yrs + and their guardians. The evening includes a quick tour of the market to see what is in season, then the family will gather to cook three farmer’s market fresh courses and mix a signature mocktail. After all that prep, everyone will sit down to enjoy the meal at the end of class. Vegetarian and vegan options are available at each dinner.
Boston Public Market is part of Trustees of the Reservation (a great family membership to have). Use code: DINNERNITE for 50% off any Family Dinner Night this fall. Parking is available at Parcel 7 Parking Garage $3/3 hours with proof of purchase. ($24 adult/$12 child for members or $30 adult/$15 child for non-members).
Saturday/Sunday
9/17 – 9/18 6 p.m. – 9 a.m. (Boston) The MFA knows that it is way too early for all night study sessions, but this time of year there is still plenty of time to party all night.
On Friday, the Museum of Fine Arts will be launching mfaNOW Overnight Parties. You read that correctly and it is for night owls and early birds of all ages. Starting at 6:00 p.m. on Friday and going through 9 a.m. on Saturday this celebration of contemporary art and artists is a cornucopia of activities. There will be food trucks (Bonetown Burgers, Indulge India, North East of the Border and Sheherazad), Taste Café will be open all night, Moonlight Bar in the Calderwood Courtyard will serve draft beer and wine until 2 a.m., and Bravo will be open from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. with cocktails, wine and beer.
In addition to contemporary art exhibits, there will be lawn games, a Frances Stark: UH-OH lecture, Harvard metaLAB‘s interactive exhibit Trust (the presence of secrets), MIT’s Hacking Arts, live painting/graffiti, a late night run with Heartbreak Hill Running Company, music, and the insomniac olympics at 3 a.m. For the early risers, there is yoga hosted by Equinox at 7 a.m., messy mornings for families from 7-10 a.m. and story hour from 9-10 a.m. on Saturday. (Free)
9/15 – 9/18 (Brighton/Boston) WGBH is having their Food and Wine Festival this weekend. I always pictured this as a gala event that you get evening or weekend tickets to, but I was wrong. The gala is sold out, you can still get all access passes, but you can also get tickets to individual tastings and events. Discounted tickets are available on Goldstar.com (here is my referral link for that- I love using Goldstar for discounts). I have my eye on the Brunch Bar and the Celebrity Food Fight. ($35 on Goldstar – $370.24 all access pass)
9/17 (Cambridge) An outdoor celebration for families that we look forward to every year is Danehy Day in Danehy Park. There are amusement rides, arts and crafts, street performers, bake sales, and of course the park to play in. It is a Cambridge fall community reunion of sorts. It is also a great place to get to know about different performers (birthday party ideas), chat with parents about favourite sports and classes for their kids, and just a time to let loose and have fun with about 4,000 other community members. (free)
9/17 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (Brookline) National Drive Electric Week is this week and on Saturday, if you head over to Larz Anderson Auto Museum you can take a look at some of the latest and greatest gas-less cars. Speak with electric vehicle owners and if you drive electric feel free to join the fun and have your own car on display. This Electric Vehicle event is an informal version of other themed lawn events hosted by the Larz Anderson Auto Museum. It will be held on the museum grounds where both attendees and owners will gather to show and explore vehicles. The event is open to any 2-4 wheel conversion, custom build or modern factory built plug in electic vehicle and other sustaineable forms of transportation. You can expect to see Tesla Model S, Nissan LEAF, Volkswagen e-Golf, EV conversion, BMW i3 REx, BMW i8, Tesla Model X, Zero motorcycle, Audi A3 e-tron, Chevrolet Volt, Fiat 500e, Ford Focus Electric, Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid, Volvo XC90 Plug-In among many others. I for one had no idea there were so many electric options and I’m dreaming of a few of these models some day. (free)
9/18 (Ipswich) Despite the beach weather, the orchards are ripe with beautiful early fall apples. On Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m head out to Ipswich to visit one of the Trustees of the Reservation properties. Appleton Farm’s Family Farm Day will be the perfect escape from the city with the family. There will be good old fashioned games of tug-o-war, crafts, face-painting and the ever popular Ben Rudnick and Friends providing music to dance to. There will be burgers, seafood from Joe’s on a Roll and Sal’s pizza to purchase if the orchard air and pony rides have you working up an appetite. ($24/car for members/ $30 for non-members)
9/18 11:00 am- 5:00 pm (Boston) Boston Local Food Festival on the Greenway will give you a taste of everything that local farmers are harvesting, food crafters are creating, and food trucks are dishing out. In addition, local chefs will also demo some of their craft and share a few tips and tricks of the trade.
Did you know ?
The 3rd Friday in September is Park(ing) Day. Check out these mini parks in parking spots in Cambridge and elsewhere here.
September 17th is National Apple Dumpling Day. I have no idea where to get an apple dumpling around here.Do you? I can highly recommend the “chausson au pommes” -apple turnover from Praliné though. Sticky, but just slightly, shimmery glazed croissant-like pastry filled with a perfect apple compote.
September 15th is National Double Cheeseburger Day. Did you know there was even such a thing? In Boston you can grab a double cheeseburger at Wahlburgers, Charlie’s Kitchen, Sullivan’s on Castle Island, one of Wild Willy’s Burgers ordered “double wide” or Grassfed‘s Double Stacked Cheeseburger.
If a double cheeseburger is just too ridiculous for you, sit tight and celebrate National Cheeseburger day on Sunday, September 18th. My ‘go to’ burger joints are Shake Shack splurge and get the Shack Stack, Craigie on Main get a seat at the bar early to snag one, Wahlburgers and one day I’ll hunt one down one at Alden & Harlow.
Save the date:
September 19th 6:00 -9:00 p.m. (B0ston) Cooked, Crudo or Canned: Adventures of Seafood class at the Boston Center for Adult Ed. with Chef Kyle McClelland of Saltie Girl. To reserve a spot or for more information, please visit www.bcae.org or call 617-267-4430, as space is limited.
September 22nd (Newport, RI) Newport Mansions Wine and Food Festival
Wednesdays (Brighton): Morning Pick-up Hockey at the new Warrior Ice Arena
September 24th 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (Boston) Kids Really Rock Festival at Lawn on D
Filed under: Arts & Entertainment, Beer, Boston, budget friendly, burgers, Cambridge, cheese, chef, City Living, Cocktails, dining out, dinner, Drink, family, farmer's market, Food, mocktails, music, New England Outings, party Tagged: #mfaNOW, (Park)ing Day, Appleton Farm, Audi, BMW, Boston Public Market, Boton Local Food Festival, Danehy Day, Electric Vehicle, Family Farm Day, Fiat, Ford, Larz Anderson Auto Museum, Lawn on D, MFA, Nissan, Porsche, Tesla, Volkswage, Volvo, weekend guide, WGBH Food and Wine Festival