While Massachusetts has reopened museums and other cultural institutions during Phase 3, COVID-19 case numbers are well above summer levels, and many residents are continuing to stay home due to the coronavirus pandemic amid new orders and advisories from Gov. Charlie Baker. With that in mind, this week’s BosTen offers a mix of in-person and virtual things to do this weekend. Have an idea about what we should cover? Leave us a comment on this article or in the BosTen Facebook group, or email us at tips@boston.com.
Many people may be ready for a break from the 2020 election. But for those who can’t get enough politics in their lives, the JFK Presidential Library is hosting a free virtual forum this Thursday at 6 p.m. about this year’s electoral process. Join NPR anchor Maria Hinojosa, CNN commentator Alice Stewart, and Washington Post journalists Dan Bals and Jonathan Capeheart as they try to make sense of the chaos. Register for the event, moderated by author Evan Thomas, on the JFK Library website.
From the earliest days of automobile travel through present day, driving has been a fraught experience for Black Americans, offering both the freedom of the open road and the danger of the daily racism they face elsewhere. Historian Gretchen Sorin and Historic New England will chronicle the history of Black motorists during “Driving While Black: African American Travel and the Road to Civil Rights,” an online seminar that will be held this Thursday at 5 p.m. Register for the $15 event on Historic New England’s website.
On its next Clink Progressively class, South End wine shop The Urban Grape will take a deep dive into what has changed for Black wine professionals in the past five months. Sign up to hear industry experts Sukari Bowman, Larissa Dubose, and Chasity Cooper join Urban Grape owner TJ Douglas to discuss how far the industry has come, and what needs to happen to make the wine world more inclusive. The Zoom class will take place on Thursday from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
More often than not, art is a reflection of the world the artist experiences. This Thursday at 6 p.m., Boston Globe art critic Cate McQuaid will host a free virtual forum with three local artists whose work offers an eye-opening look into society’s ills. All three artists were trained at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University, and following the discussion, viewers will get early access to SMFA at Tufts’ virtual art sale before the general public. Register for Thursday’s free event at the Boston Globe Events website.
Rock photographer Philin Phlash spent much of the early 1980s chronicling Boston’s punk music scene, specifically shows in the Fenway/Kenmore neighborhood. It’s fitting, then, that the neighborhood’s Time Out Market would play host to the shutterbug’s new installation, featuring more than 60 of Phlash’s most iconic concert images from the Boston area. You can stop by to check out the installation for the rest of 2020, and Phlash himself will be on hand to answer questions and sign autographs on Thursday from 5-8 p.m. and Saturday from 3-6 p.m.
For the first time since its founding in 1989, the Boston Jewish Film is going all virtual, giving viewers a chance to enjoy a wide selection of narrative, documentary, and short films during its 12-day run from Nov. 4-15. Selected films span the globe this year, with movies coming from Israel, France, and Morocco, with an increased focus on female filmmakers. All-Access Festival Passes ($360) and individual tickets ($15) are available on Boston Jewish Film’s website along with a full listing of films.
Somerville’s Starlite Snack Shack will close for the winter soon, but it’s going out with a bang fit for summer. Stop by the shack through Sunday for Fair Week, a seven-day celebration of whimsical fair snacks like funnel cake fries, candy apples, fried Oreos, pickled corn dogs, loaded baked potatoes, and other bites that you might have last enjoyed atop a Ferris wheel. And while you’re at it? Pick up one of the shack’s creative ice cream cones, like the Reese’s Puffy Cone made out of Reese’s Puffs cereal and marshmallows.
It’s been a stressful week, and while pasta and a stiff drink won’t fix everything, it’s not a bad place to start. Enter Tuscan Kitchen in the Seaport, which will offer a hands-on cooking class on Friday from 6-8 p.m. After attendees pick up a package of ingredients ($85 for two people), chef Nimesh Maharjan will walk guests through a tutorial — virtually, of course — on how to make tagliatelle alla bolognese and a negroni. Kits can be picked up within 24 hours of the class at any Tuscan Kitchen or Tuscan Market location.
While many drive-in movie theaters are closed for the season, a couple are continuing to offer socially distant entertainment. The couple that have remained open past Labor Day weekend have queued up great lineups of Halloween-themed entertainment. If we were to pick a show each night, here’s what it would look like: On Thursday, the Mendon Twin offers double features for both kids and adults, with a family-friendly double billing of “Toy Story” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and an R-rated horror movie header of “Annabelle: Creation” and “The Conjuring.” Then on Saturday, the Topsfield pop-up drive-in has a doubleheader of “Toy Story” and “Shrek,” while the Mendon Twin offers a Jordan Peele double feature on Sunday with “Get Out” and “Us.”
It may be chilly outside, but Seaport cocktail destination Drink will bring back its popular Tiki Sunday series for one night only to host a pop-up. Stop by on Sunday from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. to snag dumplings and izakaya bar bites from Mimi’s Chuka Diner, a new pop-up helmed by Ted Woo and Jon Awerman. Drink will be serving tiki cocktails all night, and seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
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