The deadline for listings is noon, Tues. Nov. 6 for the Nov. 9 issue. Send listings to [email protected]. Note: 617 should be dialed before numbers below, unless another area code is given.
Special events
Ghouls in the Garden,Saturday, October 27 | 4-6PM
Minton Stable Community Garden | 110 Williams Street, Jamaica Plain Enjoy a non-spooky Halloween celebration in a lovely community garden and park, complete with piñatas, face painting, pumpkin decorating, and apple cider pressing! All ages are welcome. Kids FREE; Adult Trustees members $3; nonmembers $6. Find more info and registration at thetrustees.org/things-to-do.”
The 15th Annual Costume Dog Parade and Fashion Show
will be on Saturday, October 27 at 1:00pm. Registration
and check-in will begin at 12noon at First Baptist Church
(next to the Post Office). Entry Fee is $10.00 with proceeds to the
City of Boston Animal Shelter. For more info, contact [email protected]
The annual Halloween Stroll Trick or Treat will be on Wednesday, October 31 from 3:00pm to 6:00pm. Candy will be provided by any business in the district displaying the orange Trick or Treat poster. Sponsored by the Jamaica Plain Business & Professional Association.
A Fall Clean-Up will be held on Saturday, November 3 from 9:00am to 12:00noon. Tools will be available at 8:30am at Curtis Hall, 20 South Street. All interested residents who want to organize a local clean-up can call up in advance with Michael Reiskind at (617) 522-1150.
Centre Street Beautification in Hyde & Jackson Squares on Saturday, November 3 from 9am – 1pm. Meet at Mozart Park. Plant daffodils bulbs & mulch street trees. Free community lunch midday. 617-522-3694, [email protected].
Arts, music, and culture
Wandering the Land of Oblivion, an exhibition of recent works on paper by Paris-based artist Contanza Aguirre (Bogota, Colombia, 1960), will be on view at Urbano, November 9, 2018–January 11, 2019; with an opening celebration on Thursday, November 15 from 6-8PM with the artist. Aguirre’s exhibition is part of Urbano’s curatorial series exploring the theme of Resilience and Sustainability.
FREE FAMILY ART WORKSHOP SERIES: The Power of our Stories – Rhythm, Music & Messages with teaching artist Cornell Coley on Oct. 29, Nov. 5, 12 from 5:30 – 8:30 pm with light supper at 5:30 pm. Optional follow-up field trip. Provided FREE OF CHARGE by Families Creating Together at SJPHC Health Promotion Center, 10B Green St., Jamaica Plain. Learn about art forms in Latin American music of the African diaspora. Create rhythms for dance & storytelling. Build your own percussion instrument from recycled materials. Children (ages 5 – 13 with and without disabilities) accompanied by a parent, grandparent, family friend. Presented in English, Spanish and American Sign Language upon request. Wheelchair accessible. FCT is a program of Community Service Care/Tree of Life Coalition in Jamaica Plain. To register and for more information call 617-522-4832 or 617-372-3022 or email [email protected]. SPACE IS LIMITED so register today! Additional information at www.familiescreatingtogether.org.
SongBeat Circle hosts another season of improvisational singing and drumming together for wellness, stress relief, and community. It is held on the first Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. (except for January 8, 2019) in the Parish Hall at First Church in Jamaica Plain. All ages are welcome. A small donation of $5 to $10 is encouraged to help with the costs of using the space. No musical experience required. Bring your enthusiasm and willingness to be open to the joyful play of music. For further information, contact [email protected] or 617-775-7602.
“Home/Hogar,” Nora Valdez presents artwork from her Eliot School Artist’s Residency, Oct 31-Dec 2; reception Friday, Nov 2, 6-8pm; Talk Sunday, Nov 4, 3pm, at Galatea Fine Art, 460 Harrison Ave #B6, SoWa.
Oaxacan Woodcarving Sale, Colorful animals made in San Martín Tilcajete, Mexico. Sunday, Nov 4, 5-6pm at Eliot School of Fine & Applied Arts, 24 Eliot St.
Holiday Ornaments for Children, Family art day. Make ornaments together. Sunday, Dec 16, 10am-12:30pm at Eliot School of Fine & Applied Arts, 24 Eliot St.
Call for art proposals, The Friends of the Jamaica Plain Branch Library in partnership with Uforge are excited to announce a new call for exhibition proposals in the public gallery space at the Jamaica Plain Branch Library for 2019. Info: http://www.friendsjplibrary.org/
Fog sculptures, The Emerald Necklace Conservancy welcomes to Boston and Brookline Fujiko Nakaya’s first extended citywide exhibition of multiple “fog sculptures,” marking her five decade career with works at five sites along the historic urban parks that link more than a dozen neighborhoods, and provide a natural, recreational and cultural conduit for the community. Created in response to the landmarked waterways and landscapes designed by Frederick Law Olmsted (FLO), Nakaya’s “climate responsive” shape-shifting, pure water forms invite visitors to immerse themselves in the art, experience nature anew, and appreciate the vital role of the Emerald Necklace in our city’s history, present, and future. Organized by the Conservancy with curator Jen Mergel, this FREE public art presentation is on view every day, hourly from dawn to dusk, from August 11 through October 31. Learn how to visit!
JESUS DRINKS FREE! 1950s-70s country, gospel, soul and RnB spun by 2 atheists (and guests) @Jeanie Johnston 9pm-Close FREE
SOUL music & COUNTRY music. Foundational sounds of the American experience spun monthly with love, admiration, and a deep want to create fun. Throw in a non-believer’s true lust for spinning GOSPEL music and you have JESUS DRINKS FREE. The music comes from the 1950s thru the 1970s. We’re @ The Jeanie Johnston Pub every 1st Thursday night of every month. Good times in Jamaica Plain.”
The Haven, HOOTENANNY – JP’s OPEN MIC EVERY WEDNESDAY, hosted by Tom Dowd. Sign up is 9.30pm and we have prizes every Wednesday for the most interesting acts.
Midway Café, All shows 21+, doors 8pm, 3496 Washington St, 524-9038. Thursdays are Queeraoke lesbian night; Fridays 6-8:30pm are Hippie Hour, free; Sundays 9pm-2am are open mic.
October 2018
FRIDAY 10/26 (after Hippie Hour) 8:30pm ($8.00): The Humanoids, Slim Jim and the Mad Cows, Maiden New England, Electric Street Queens
SATURDAY 10/27 (Night Show) 9pm ($10.00): Sake Toomey’s Super Spoopy Halloween Extravaganza 2.0
SATURDAY 10/27 (Day Show) 4pm ($7.00): Benefit for Mission 22/Dennis Donahue’s Birthday Show! with Kind Crew, Neighborhood Shit, Sick Minds, Jerry’s Got Jokes, and Whoopi Sticks
SUNDAY 10/28 (Day Show) 4pm ($5.00): Zipper, The Instamatics, Larseny, Billy Squire
MONDAY 10/29 ($7.00): Eva Davenport, RLETTO, Autumn Jones, DJ GI JOE
TUESDAY 10/30 ($7.00): DnA’s Evolution, A Bunch of Jerks, Eve Minor, Kala Baz
WEDNESDAY 10/31 ($8.00): Random Variety: R.I.P. (Music, Burlesque, Comedy, & More)
November 2018:
THURSDAY 11/1 (before Queeraoke) $5.00: Andy Lightning
FRIDAY 11/2 (after Hippie Hour) 8:30pm (No Cover!): LOVE LOVE & Friends present A Fall Funnanza of a FEASTIVAL!
SATURDAY 11/3 (Night Show) 9pm ($7.00): Slack Tide, Fordham Road, The Womps, Plains
SATURDAY 11/3 (Day Show) 4pm ($5.00): Agador, The Beacon Project, Above the Din, Crushed Vinyl
SUNDAY 11/4 (Day Show) 4pm ($8.00): Book release party for “Poetry for the Neon Apocalypse” by Jake Tringali with Mint Green, Ski Bunny, The Sewer Buddies, Hyber
MONDAY 11/5 ($5.00): Rea, Musical Mandalas, Binge Magick, Sternman
TUESDAY 11/6 ($7.00): Of The Sun, Crash One, Deep C Divers
WEDNESDAY 11/7 ($7.00): Arthur the Pleasure, Them Fantasies, Major Moment
THURSDAY 11/8 (before Queeraoke) $5.00: Melissa Mills
FRIDAY 11/9 (after Hippie Hour) 8:30pm ($8.00): Troll 2, The Brian O’Connell Fellowship
SATURDAY 11/10 (Night Show) 9pm ($10.00): Keith Brooks Memorial Veterans Day Show #1: The Welch Boys, Pint Killers, Abductors, Step 13, Barfight Champs
SATURDAY 11/10 (Day Show) 4pm ($10.00): Rockin Bob Punk Band, Smartyr, Banshee, Raw Radar War
SUNDAY 11/11 (Day Show) 3pm ($10.00): Keith Brooks Memorial Veterans Day Show #2: COLIN OF ARABIA, Zero Hour, Cry Havoc, Neighborhood Shit, xForgiveness Deniedx, Foulfellows
MONDAY 11/12 ($10.00): Punk Rockin’ And Pastie Poppin’
TUESDAY 11/13 ($7.00): ÁBI, LIZA, Sophie Marks
WEDNESDAY 11/14 ($5.00): Fully Celebrated Orchestra with special guests Creek River String Band
THURSDAY 11/15 (before Queeraoke) $5.00: Dalaun
FRIDAY 11/16 (after Hippie Hour) 8:30pm ($8.00): Cortez, Backwoods Payback, Lord Fowl, Set Fire
SATURDAY 11/17 (Night Show) 9pm ($10.00): The Catbirds, The Nickel & Dime Band featuring Rick Berlin, Steve Westfield & The Slow Band
SATURDAY 11/17 (Day Show) 4pm ($7.00): Hixxgiving IX with Screw Cart, HIXX, Sex Zombies, and Alice Highland
SUNDAY 11/18 (Day Show) 4pm ($5.00): Bitter Magnolia, Rob & The Bank, Jazz Xplosion (Kramer Gibson & Jimmy Nguyen), Daniel Turnbull
MONDAY 11/19 ($5.00): Trick Wallace, Chris Wagner, Corin Ashley, Gene Dante
TUESDAY 11/20 ($5.00): Nick Zaino, Tom Wyatt, The Boston Imposters, Richie Parsons
WEDNESDAY 11/21 ($5.00): TinyOak booking presents: The Bonds, The Melted Chapstixs, Glowbox, Lower Falls
THURSDAY 11/22: Happy Thanksgiving – Queeraoke starts at 8pm
FRIDAY 11/23 (after Hippie Hour) 8:30pm ($8.00): Skull & Roses (Grateful Dead tribute)
SATURDAY 11/24 (Night Show) 9pm ($8.00): Dioniso, Neutral, The Shirts and Shoes
SATURDAY 11/24 (Day Show) 4pm ($5.00): Fable Grazer, Figure From Ground, Baylies Band, Cost of Living
SUNDAY 11/25 (Day Show) 4pm ($5.00): The Way Back, Responders, Why Another, Friendly Psychic Strangers
MONDAY 11/26 ($5.00): Kyle Flynn, Ashley Zarah, Rachel Baldwin, Elsie Eastman
TUESDAY 11/27 ($5.00): Tony Savarino & The Savtones, Minx, TBA
WEDNESDAY 11/28: TBA
THURSDAY 11/29 (before Queeraoke) $5.00: Will DePiano
FRIDAY 11/30 (after Hippie Hour) 8:30pm: TBA
Jeanie Johnston Pub, 144 South St. Open Mic hosted by Tony Bluze, Sundays at 8pm. More events at jeaniejohnstonpub.com.
Bella Luna & The Milky Way Weekly events include; Irish Sessions every Sunday at 5pm. Off the Wall Mondays with DJ J-Wall at 6PM, 50% of wings with Stump Trivia to follow at 8PM. Teacher Tuesdays plus Dirty Water Saloon Line Dancing for queer folks and allies at 7PM. Live jazz every Wednesday from at 6:30 – 8:30 pm. Visit www.milkywayjp.com for more late night events ever Thu-Sat.
Old time music, Southern/roots music, 2nd & 4th Wednesdays, 7.30pm, back room at Doyle’s Cafe, 3484 Washington St. Info: [email protected].
First Fridays Youth Open Mic with renowned feature artists, first Friday of every month, 7pm at First Baptist Church, 633 Centre St. Free for performers and those under 25, $10 suggested donation for those 25 and over.
Dance and comedy
Parent & Child Fall Dance Classes at Spontaneous Celebrations. Parents and children (boys and girls, ages 3-4) are welcome to join JP Dance Co-op’s Fall session to learn how to dance and express themselves through direct and free movement. Full course (8 classes: $100), or drop ins ($15) welcome. Dates: 10/7, 10/14, 10/21, 10/28, 11/4, 11/11, 11/18, 12/2. For more details and to register before 10/7, email [email protected].
Gender-Free/English Country Dance, beginners welcome and encouraged. 2nd and 4th Tuesdays (5th Tuesdays: experienced) of the month, 7:30-11:30pm, First Church, 6 Eliot St. Info: www.lcfd.org/bgfe/512-5554.
Learn to stiltwalk with Spontaneous Celebrations, 45 Danforth St. Sundays, 11am-1pm, $5. Info: 857-498-2438.
Egleston Square Branch Library, 2044 Columbus Ave.
Youth Programs
Free Drop-In Homework Help
Mondays-Thursdays, 3:30-5:30pm
The library provides free, drop-in afterschool homework help for students in grades K-8 throughout the school year. Spanish assistance is available Mondays and Thursdays. Help is provided by trained, high-achieving high school students. This program is available at locations across Boston on days that Boston Public Schools are in session. The full list of locations is online at www.bpl.org/homework.
Early Explorations
Tuesday, October 30, 10:30-11:30am
Young learners enjoy science-based play. Children and caregivers engage with hands-on activities that allow them to explore science and engineering phenomena and ways of thinking. Due to limited space, advance signup is encouraged but not required. Ideal for children ages 2-4, accompanied by a caregiver. Call or visit the library to sign up.
Preschool Storytime & Craft
Tuesday, November 6, and ongoing, 10:30-11:30am
Join the children’s librarian for stories, songs, activities, and a craft related to a different theme
Baby/Toddler Music Time
Fridays, October 26, November 2 & 9, and ongoing, 10:30am
Sing, bounce, read, and play in these interactive musical storytimes, followed by a play group. For children ages 6-24 months and their caregivers.
Adult Programs
ESL Conversation Group
Saturdays, October 27 & November 3, and ongoing, 10-11:30am
Practice speaking English with other adult ESL learners and new English speakers in an informal and friendly group setting. Groups are led by a native English speaker. If you have questions about these groups, please call 617.859.2446 or email [email protected].
Unfurled – An Author Talk by Michelle Bailat-Jones
Wednesday, October 31, 6:30-7:30pm
Join author Michelle Bailat-Jones as she reads from and discusses themes in her upcoming new book Unfurled. What are the boundaries between imagination and delusion? When Ella’s father John dies unexpectedly, she learns that the past she believed in never really happened. The unsettling questions raised by John’s death send Ella on a journey to discover the truth. This is a novel about loss and forgiveness, about imagination and that gift’s more menacing form, delusion. Michelle Bailat-Jones is a writer and translator. Her début novel, Fog Island Mountains (Tantor 2014), won the inaugural Christopher Doheny Award from The Center for Fiction and Audible. Her fiction, poetry, translations, and criticism have appeared in various journals, including: The Kenyon Review, the Rumpus, Public Pool, and the View from Here.
Jamaica Plain Branch Library
Oral History Listening Booth at the JP Branch See a 1930’s era wooden phone booth, transformed into a portal for exploring Boston’s history as shared by a diverse group, ages 60 and older, from JP and other Boston neighborhoods. The booth is a part of Daniel Johnson’s Artist in Residency (AIR) project and will hit the road soon and pop up at other spots across Boston. Booth can be viewed and listened to whenever the library is open. JP Branch Library, 30 South St, 617-524-2053.
Connolly Branch Library
433 Centre St., 522-1960, www.bpl.org.
Adult Book Discussion
Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks
Monday, October 29, 7 p.m.
Children’s Films
Short, fun films for preschoolers.
Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m.
Little Groves Children’s Concert
Friday, October 26, 10:30 a.m.
Annual Halloween Party and Parade
Activities, costumes, treats and a neighborhood stroll down Centre Street. For all ages.
Wednesday, October 31, 3:30 p.m.
ESL Conversation Groups
Fridays, October 5, 12, 19 & 26, 3:00 p.m.
Tours/talks/workshops
Stonybrook Fine Arts, Make Your Own Wedding Rings workshop and teen & adult classes in welding, foundry and mold-making, ongoing, 24 Porter St. Info: stonybrookfinearts.com.
Woodworking, sewing, art classes, fiber arts, photography, book arts. Children, teens, adults, year round. Eliot School of Fine & Applied Arts, 24 Eliot St. Info: eliotschool.org or 524-3313.
Shim Gum Do (Mind Sword Path), zen sword, karate and meditation classes, scholarships available, Spontaneous Celebrations, 45 Danforth St. Info: 429-8024/[email protected].
Meet-Ups
Narratives Boston, queer activist-writers group open to LGBTQ-identified adults interested in creative expression and social justice, first and third Wednesday evenings of the month, 7-9pm, Haymarket People’s Fund, 42 Seaverns Ave. Info: [email protected].
Party for the Helping Hand Fund, hosted by Haymarket People’s Fund, every 3rd Friday of the month, 5:30-8pm, 42 Seaverns Ave. Info: 522-3349/[email protected].
Networking Group, local chapter of BNI, meets on Wednesdays at the Farnsworth House at 7am. Consists of 30 members of different professions. Through development and trust and relationships amongst the members, objective is to promote each other’s businesses. Members may live outside of JP, but common tie is either living in or servicing the JP area. Info: President of chapter Katelyn Atwater, info: 431-0929.