Hi! Culture to Do Editor Carey Larsen here with an anecdote for this week. A couple of days ago I was talking with my adult son about his plans for Halloween and he reminded me about a costume idea I had suggested when he was a teenager. We would hang coins from a wide-brimmed hat and give him an olive branch to carry. It was 2008, days before an historic presidential election, and he would be going as “Hope and Change.” My son rejected the idea, but this week he told me that he thinks about that costume pitch every Halloween. I was reminded how holiday experiences like Halloween live on through our memories, sometimes in unexpected ways. So, this week, go to one of the events below and build some memories for your future self!
NEPM Book Club: We Ride Upon Sticks
Thursday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. on Zoom
In the town of Danvers, Massachusetts, home of the original 1692 witch trials, the 1989 Danvers Falcons will do anything to make it to the girls field hockey state finals — even if it means tapping into some devilishly dark powers. Against a background of irresistible 1980s iconography, Quan Barry expertly weaves together the individual and collective progress of this enchanted team as they storm their way through an unforgettable season.
Charlayne Hunter-Gault In Person
Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley
Thursday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m.
Charlayne Hunter-Gault made national news as a teenager when she mounted a legal challenge that culminated in her admission to the University of Georgia in January 1961—making her one of the first two Black students to integrate the institution. As an adult, Charlayne switched from being the subject of news to covering it. Her new book showcases her lifelong commitment to reporting on Black people — from the civil rights movement through the election of America’s first Black president and beyond.
Halloween Swing with The O-Tones
CitySpace, Easthampton
Thursday, Oct. 27 at 6 p.m.
CitySpace invites all you cats and kittens to their Halloween swing dance party. The O-Tones will bring the dance vibes, you bring the moves. Get hip when you're hopping by dressing-up in your best swing costume for Halloween. There will be fun takeaways, prizes, and more! Festive attire is encouraged.
Club d'Elf Halloween Party with John Medeski
Bombyx Center for Arts and Equity, Florence
Thursday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m.
Club d’Élf is a jam/groove supergroup with wide-ranging styles and influences: Moroccan trance; electric-70s era Miles Davis; the prog-rock masterworks of Frank Zappa; hip-hop turntable jams a la DJ Logic; and global dub reminiscent of Bill Laswell’s work. Halloween is the band’s favorite time of year to play. They will be joined by special guest John Medeski — who’s starting to get the hang of the church organ.
MICAfest
Northampton Center for the Arts
Friday, Oct. 28 – Sunday, Oct. 30
MICA is the Mothers Institute for Collaboration and Art. For three days, the artistic talents of more than 40 artistic mothers from up and down the east coast will be presenting their work — in theater, dance, music, poetry, film, visual arts. The festival aims to showcase the range and diversity of experiences mothers have.
Food Truck Friday Halloween Party
Abandoned Building Brewery, Easthampton
Friday, Oct. 28 from 5 – 9 p.m.
The final Food Truck Friday of the year doubles as a Halloween party with music by The New Domestics. Macken's Sliders, Holyoke Hummus, Caravan Kitchen, and Thai Chili will be setting up shop. Plus, They’re having a pet costume party with prizes for Cutest, Funniest, and Couples. Humans are also encouraged to dress in costume, with or without a four-legged partner.
48th Annual Multiband Pops Concert
Frederick Tillis Performance Hall, UMass
Friday, Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m.
It's a spectacular, fast-paced showcase presented by the UMass Amherst Department of Music & Dance with performances by Jazz Ensemble I, Chapel Jazz, Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, Symphony Band, Vocal Jazz Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, Trombone Choir, Trumpet Ensemble, Jazz Quintet & Reed Quintet. The Minuteman Marching Band gets the entire second half of the concert all to themselves.
Pink Martini featuring China Forbes
Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, Great Barrington
Friday, Oct. 28 at 8 p.m.
With a dozen musicians and songs in 25 languages, Pink Martini performs its multilingual repertoire on concert stages on six continents. After making its European debut at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997 and its orchestral debut with the Oregon Symphony in 1998, the band has gone on to play with more than 50 orchestras around the world. Lead vocalist China Forbes was born and raised in Cambridge, where she graduated cum laude from Harvard.
Blackmore’s Night
The Academy of Music, Northampton
Friday, Oct. 28 at 8 p.m.
Over the course of 25 years, Blackmore’s Night has developed a unique genre of music inspired by melodies of the Renaissance period and “Blackmoreized” into contemporary music. Vocalist, Candice Night contributes her unique, entrancing vocals, and deftly navigates seven medieval woodwinds, including chanters, shawms, pennywhistles, and recorders. Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore traverses between acoustic and electric guitar, mandolin, mandola and hurdy gurdy. Wizard’s Consort opens the show.
An Out of This World Halloween
Springfield Museums
Saturday, Oct. 29 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Wear your costume, go trick or treating in the galleries, and enjoy activities inspired by the museum’s Space Station Gallery and the exhibit “Card Tricks: Salvador Dali and the Art of Playing Cards.” In the late 1960s, the influential surrealist artist Salvador Dalí partnered with the French printing firm Draeger Frerés to produce 17 designs that were released as limited-edition playing cards. Shortly after, Dalí created lithographs highlighting those designs. This family fun event is free with museum admission.
Hartford Symphony Orchestra’s Tales of Halloween
Mortensen Hall at The Bushnell
Saturday, Oct. 29 at 3 p.m.
A life-long lover of all things Halloween, conductor, composer and Connecticut native John Jesensky felt inspired to share his passion for the spooky season with the whole world. So, he teamed up with two other local artists to create a unique scare-fest. Dress up in Halloween costume and head to the Bushnell for an afternoon of chills, thrills, and fun.
The Brick Church Music Series
Sirena Huang, violin, and Pi-Hsun Shi, piano
The First Church of Deerfield
Sunday, Oct. 30 at 3 p.m.
The remarkable duo of Sirena Huang and Pi-Hsun Shi, will perform works by Mozart, Brahms, Wieniawski, Szymanowski, and Vieuxtemps. Sirena Huang brings technical brilliance and powerful artistry to the stage, alongside a profound sense of connection to her audience. Pi-Hsun Shi’s experience with many diverse chamber ensembles has allowed her to build a strong foundation in the classical repertoire as well as explore new music.
EJ Hill Brake Run Helix
MASS MoCA, North Adams
Exhibit opens Sunday, Oct. 30
For his first solo museum show and largest exhibition to date, EJ Hill has created a massive installation that incorporates freestanding sculptures, paintings, a stage for performances, and a rideable sculptural installation inspired by the form and function of roller coasters. Hill’s practice focuses on everyday experiences that intermingle public struggle, endurance, trauma, and joy, whether within athletics, religion, the American education system, or amusement parks.
Tumble’s Spooky Science Extravaganza
Listen Sunday, Oct. 30 at 6 p.m. on NEPM 88.5
Tumble is a fabulous science podcast for kids, co-hosted by Greenfield residents Lindsay Patterson and Marshall Escamilla. You may have seen Lindsay and Marshall at last Saturday’s NEPM Kids Day! This week they’ll be on NEPM to present a special one-hour Tumble Halloween show. Join them to explore the science of animal mummies, investigate the case of the jack-o-lantern gone bad, and unlock the secrets behind a mysterious candy dagger.