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Greetings! Massachusetts is rich in arts and culture, so it's no surprise that exciting events, exhibits and festivals are held in the state's 16 regions all year long. Find out more below!  Plan your next cultural getaway to Massachusetts! |
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Featured Region: Mohawk Trail Region
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The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) in North Adams presents a new exhibition "Jerry's Map: A Half Century Project of Imagination" October 5-14. In 1963, Jerry Gretzinger doodled a map of a small imaginary town. His sketch took on a life of its own and today comprises over 2,600 hand-crafted panels spanning a jawdropping 2,000 square feet! This is the first time the map has ever been displayed in its entirety. Get to know the artist behind this incredible project at a meet and greet on Saturday, October 6th at 5 p.m.
Then, on Friday, October 26th, MASS MoCA presents Laura Marling "The Working Holiday Tour" in one performance at 8 p.m. Just sixteen when she leapt into the public eye in 2006 as a seemingly fully formed artist, the talented English folk singer Laura Marling has mesmerized ever since with her extraordinary songwriting and equally enchanting voice.
For more information on the Mohawk Trail Region, click here.
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MetroWest
| |  There's plenty to discover indoors and outdoors at the Discovery Museums in October! From an Autumn Tree Walk, to a special morning for hard-of-hearing toddlers, to Take Aparts (a session where kids discover the inner workings of telephone and computers), there are fantastic programs almost every day! Further south, on October 13th, let the kids run around and enjoy one of the town's greatest natural assets during the first Fall Fest on Farm Pond. |
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Nantucket Island
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The 10th Annual Cranberry Festival will take place on Saturday, October 6th at the Milestone Cranberry Bog! Come watch the berries being harvested, learn about the history of cranberry farming on Nantucket, participate in family activities, or just kick back and enjoy the music and the spectacular autumn scenery. Activities include hayrides, demonstrations of sheep herding, shearing and wool spinning, plus kid's events and an appearance by Barnaby the Bear. Admission is free!
For more information on Nantucket Island, click here. |
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North of Boston | | October brings the long awaited Peabody Essex Mu seum exhibit of "Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones." Through February 3, 2013, visitors can explore the delightful, fun and fantasy of the world of hats - wildly plumed bonnets, silk turbans, sequined caps, embroidered crowns, feathered displays of wit and whimsy. Even the lime-green fascinator of Sarah Jessica Parker is on display, along with 250 other elegant and outlandish hats!
For more information on North of Boston, click here. |
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Plymouth County
| | The  Plymouth Guild presents the 45th Annual Juried Art Show at the Plymouth Center for the Arts September 22-October 28! Featuring artists around and beyond New England, the various mediums include drawing and pastel, oil, acrylic, watercolor and casein painting, sculpture, photography and more. Art expressions include visual, word, music and dance. The public is invited to paint on the 20-foot Art Wall! New this year: "Young at Art" young artists' show, "Painting with Pixels" digital demonstration and "Paint Me a Poem, Write Me a Picture," teenage poetic interpretations. For more information on Plymouth County, click here |
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Southeastern Massachusetts
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The 8th Annual New Bedford Open Studios will be held September 29-30! Explore the fine artist community of New Bedford, featuring dozens of artists exhibiting work throughout the city. Meet the artists, see how and where the art is being created, and purchase a great original. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. For more information, visit www.newbedfordopenstudios.org.
For more information on Southeastern MA, click here. |
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The Berkshires | |  Enjoy traditional Shaker Suppers at Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield on Friday, October 26th or Saturday, November 24th! The evening begins with a guided tour of Village highlights. Interpreters in period attire present an introduction to Shaker life as you view the Village's premier collection of Shaker furniture and artifacts in selected buildings. After a reception in the spacious kitchen of the historic Brick Dwelling, dinner is served by candle light. The menu varies, and includes soup, entrees, accompaniments, and desserts selected from The Best of Shaker Cooking by Amy Bess Miller.
For more information on the Berkshires, click here. |
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Greater Merrimack Valley
| |  Come to downtown Lowell October 6th and 7th for the city's 2012 Open Studios Weekend, featuring more than 140 artists who live and work in this renaissance city, including fiber artists, painters, multi-media artists, sculptors, potters, jewelers, filmmakers, photographers and more. On October 10-14, see Jack Kerouac's lost play, "Beat Generation," produced for the first time ever, at the Merrimack Repertory Theatre. The play is the centerpiece of the 2012 Kerouac Literary Festival!
For more information on Greater Merrimack Valley, click here. |
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Central Massachusetts
| |  On October 13-14, enjoy Civil War Reenactment & Living History Weekend in Worcester! Bring the family and step back in time to a part of our countries turbulent past. Re-live the 'Gone With The Wind' era of the 1860's, portrayed by hundreds of re-enactors from all over New England. Meet Generals Lee, and Grant, Abraham Lincoln, Clara Barton, Dorothea Dix and more! The event is free, parking is $10. For more events, visit www.facebook.com/cmcvb.
For more information on Central Massachusetts, click here. |
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Franklin County
| |  The Brick & Mortar International Video Fest will be held in downtown Greenfield October 12-13, 4 to 10 p.m. No admission fee! The festival presents cutting edge video art works from around the world. The downtown is transformed into a temporary arts district with a selection of contemporary video art exhibitions displayed in a variety of historic buildings and unfinished spaces. This year's festival will feature artists from Canada!
For more information on Franklin County, click here. |
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Greater Boston
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Boston's renowned annual Columbus Day Parade will take place on Sunday, October 7th! Celebrating America's diversity, Boston cultural groups representing various countries will join in and share the music and dance of their homelands. The groups will be joined by an eclectic mix of marching brass bands, military units and Colonial militias, Italian-Boston organizations, Duck Boat floats, politicians, other entertainers, and even vintage autos.
For more information on Greater Boston, click here. |
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Cape Cod
| |  The Arts Foundation of Cape Cod, in partnership with the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce and Cape Cod Media Group, will hold the 5th Annual Fall for the Arts Festival from September 29-October 28 across Cape Cod and the Islands! This family-friendly festival showcases local art and culture, including live performances by local musicians; open houses at theaters, museums, and historical sites; readings and lectures; art activities for children; guided art and heritage walks; plein air painters; special art exhibits; and much more! |
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Greater Springfield
| |  On October 13th, PassportHolyoke presents "Discover Holyoke Day," an all-ages, city-wide cultural celebration that begins at 10 a.m. at Wistariahurst Museum. For $1, guests are given a wristband that allows for free or discounted admission to art, music and dance performances. Other features include historic tours of Holyoke, access to the city's museums, a ride on the fabled Holyoke Merry-Go-Round and more. Catch Holyoke's first Latin Jazz Festival in the Winter Palace from 4 p.m. to midnight!
For more information on Greater Springfield, click here. |
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Hampshire County | | The Paradise City Arts Festival will be held at 3 County Fairgrounds in Northampton on Columbus Day weekend - October 6-8! Marking its 18th year as New England's premier showcase for fine and functional art, the event features 275 of the nation's very best craftsmen and artists showing their newest work. Dine on sensational cuisine by Northampton's best chefs under the Festival Dining Tent, and enjoy live performances by nationally and regionally acclaimed musicians.
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Johnny Appleseed Country | |
 There's a large dose of "comedy tonight" in October! Theatre at the Mount in Gardner offers the classic musical "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," while the Barre Players present a more contemporary, "Beau Jest" and the New Players Theater Guild opens its new theater with "The Sunshine Boys." The younger set hasn't been forgotten, though; Theatre at the Mount will delight children of all ages with its matinee, "How I Became a Pirate."
For more information on Johnny Appleseed Country, click here. |
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Martha's Vineyard
| |  On October 25-28, Art*Island Festival caps the month-long Fall for the Arts with four days of art and culture, including engaging talks, film, music, kid's art and a costume ball! For additional information, please visit ArtIslandMV.org. Presented by the Harbor View and Martha's Vineyard Art & Ideas.
For more information on Martha's Vineyard, click here. |
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