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March 2020
Massachusetts is rich in arts & 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!
The March of Spring
Winter gives way to spring each March in Massachusetts, but we always have plenty of visitor activities, no matter what the weather brings!

Rev 250 has colorful historical reenactments this month, marking the 250th anniversary of the famous Boston Massacre on March 5, which triggered the American Revolution. Some 23% of Massachusetts residents claim Irish ancestry so we have plenty of St. Patrick's Day parades, concerts, dances and cultural events during Irish Heritage Month. Maple Syrup Month highlights dozens of maple sugaring locations, while Massachusetts Beer Week (March 7-14) serves up some great homemade brew.

For more on what to see + do in Massachusetts, visit massvacation.com.
Featured Region: Franklin County
Spring forward with Piti Theatre's celebration of sap and spring at the 11th annual SYRUP: One Sweet Family Festival on Sunday, March 29 at the Shelburne-Buckland Community Centerin Shelburne Falls! Start off right with a Pancake Party at 11 am, featuring a costumed waitstaff from Piti's Youth Troupe and kids' activities. Piti's original musical comedy The Mayor of Greenpants, featuring a cast of local children and adults, is at 2:30 pm, followed by Jonathan Mirin's acclaimed food farce Sammy and Le Grand Buffet. "[Sammy] conquers clumsiness and language barriers to make us smile...Mirin's magic tricks elicit gasps of awe-or precocious commentary-from young audiences" - Theatre is Easy Review. Jonathan will lead a "Storytelling & Conflict Resolution" after the show.

Tickets are $12/$10 students & seniors/$5 children at ptco.org/syrup or 1-800-838-3006.  While you are in the area, check out more maple adventures!

Find more events and information for Franklin County.
Greater Boston
During Women's History Month, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston is producing a special podcast series to examine female artists behind five artworks on view in the exhibition Women Take the Floor. These segments will be available every Sunday in March. MFA podcaster-in-residence Tamar Avishai analyzes Carmen Herrera's Blanco y Verde (#1), Louise Bourgeois' Pillar, Georgia O'Keefe's Deer's Skull with Pedernal, Patty Chang's Melons (At a Loss), and Frida Kahlo's Dos Mujeres (Salvadora y Herminia).

Find more events and information for Greater Boston
Cape Cod
Don your green for the annual Cape Cod St. Patrick's Day Parade in Yarmouth on Saturday, March 7! The parade, which kicks off at 11 am on Route 28 in Yarmouth, features dozens of marching bands, bagpipe units, floats, Irish Step Dancers, Clydesdales, antique cars and family friendly entertainment. The Cape's largest celebration of the green, the parade has been named one of Yankee Magazine's best St. Patrick's Day events in New England. And on St. Patrick's Day itself, March 17, sham(rock) the day away at one of these festive Cape Cod restaurants & pubs.

Find more events and information for Cape Cod.
Greater Springfield
Join the Dr. Seuss Birthday Celebration at The Springfield Museums! Dr. Seuss (a.k.a Theodore Geisel), the beloved children's author, was born in Springfield on March 2, 1904 and he would have been 116! The museums honor him annually with a day full of family fun. This year's celebration will take place on March 7 from 10 am until 5 pm. Tickets sell out quickly so it is suggested to order in advance by clicking here. The link also provides a timeline of activities, which include Cake, Music of The Cat in the Hat Songbook, Mr. Vinny's Shadow Puppet Show and more!

Find more events and information for Greater Springfield.
Hampshire County
Don't miss your chance to experience the landmark exhibition Black Refractions: Highlights from The Studio Museum in Harlem, on view until April 12 at the Smith College Museum of Art. Comprised of nearly 100 works in many media, Black Refractions: Highlights from The Studio Museum in Harlem surveys close to a century of creative achievement by artists of African descent, including Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Maren Hassinger, Norman Lewis, Kerry James Marshall, Faith Ringgold, Lorna Simpson, James VanDerZee, and Kehinde Wiley. Learn more!

Find more events and information for Hampshire County.
Johnny Appleseed 
In March, you can hear the lilt of Irish laughter throughout Johnny Appleseed Country! The center of St. Patrick's Day fun is Clinton, home of the Leprechaun Parade and Convention. Can you see the gaggle of "wee folk" marching behind the bagpiper on March 14, as they head to their convention for more merriment? Or join the fun at Irish Night in Fitchburg on March 7, or enjoy watching the Flying Irish dancers in Townsend on March 14. Think green!  

Find more events and information for Johnny Appleseed Country. 
Martha's Vineyard 
Toward Vineyard Spring! Art in the Stacks: Edward Gorey (3/2+9+16+23+30); Monday at Movies Classics! (3/2+9+16+23+30); Winter Yard Malpaso Dance Company (3/4); Acting 101 (3/5+12+19); To Keep the Light screening (3/7); We Dance PathwaysARTS; (3/6); Photography Fundamentals (Tuesdays 3/10-4/14) MET Live Der Fliegende Hollander (3/14); Winter Arboretum Walk (3/14); Salsa Suelta Cubana Class (3/17); Opening Reception Here Comes the Sun (3/22); Winter Dinner Lecture Series (3/24); Martha's Vineyard Film Festival (3/26-29); Wicked Good Musical Revue (3/27-29)!

Find more events and information for Martha's Vineyard. 
Mohawk Trail Region
The 2020 Patriot's Day Revolutionary Muster will be held Saturday, April 18 from 9:30 am to 4 pm at Historic Deerfield. Travel back in time and rediscover the history behind the Patriot's Day holiday! Revolutionary times will come to life through demonstrations of period crafts and activities, fife and drum music, cannon and musket firing, and a muster. Historic Deerfield guides and cooks will interpret open hearth cooking and powder horn carving in the 1786 Hall Tavern. Horse-drawn wagon rides will transport visitors through the village, and all historic houses will be available for touring.

Find more events and information for The Mohawk Trail Region
MetroWest

Get in the spirit of St. Patrick's Day on Saturday March 14 at 8 pm with Tim O'Brien performing in a duet setting with his partner Jan Fabricius on harmony vocals and featuring his solid guitar, fiddle and mandolin at TCAN in Natick. Then, savor the best of the region at the 10th Annual Taste of MetroWest on March 17 from 5 to 8 pm at the Sheraton Framingham Hotel and Conference Center. Tickets on sale now here!

Find more events and information for MetroWest.   
Nantucket Island

Spring breaks 3/19 on Nantucket! MA Beer Week (3/7-14); Leadership Book Club | Dare to Lead (3/9); Cisco Brewers tours (Th, F, Sat); Starry Skies (3/2+3); Pints & Paints at Cisco (Tuesdays, 5-7 pm); Dreamland's Exhibition on Screen: Lucian Freud (3/3+4); Short Play Festival Meeting (3/3+10+17); Owl Prowl (3/7); Dreamland: MET Live Der Fliegende Hollander (3/14); Porgy & Bess (3/28) and BOLSHOI Live Romeo & Juliet (3/29); Staged reading The Pigman (3/20); Dreamland; 6th Annual Science Fest (3/21).

Find more events and information for Nantucket Island.
North of Boston
Castle Hill Productions on the Crane Estate presents "Sense and Sensibility" by Kate Hamill, a theatrical comedy staged in the grandeur of the Great House on March 6-8. Salem Film Fest, running March 20-29, is one of New England's largest documentary film festivals and presents a rich and diverse collection of the year's best work from all over the world. Beginning on March 28, the exhibition Wayfinding: Contemporary Artists, Critical Dialogues, and the Sidney R. Knafel Map Collection is at the Addison Gallery of Art. The collection, a unique holding of atlases, maps, and globes, documents European understanding of the world from 1434 through the 19th century.

Find more events and information for North of Boston.
Plymouth County

2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment and the 400th anniversary of the voyage of the Mayflower. The way we choose to interpret and commemorate such historical events provides valuable insight into contemporary society! Back Roads is pleased to present the 2020 South Shore History Symposium on "Myth, Meaning & Memory: Commemoration on the South Shore" on Saturday, March 28 to from 9:30 am to 1 pm at Spire Center for the Performing Arts in Plymouth. This annual conference is an exciting opportunity for regional historians to present research and share behind-the-scenes projects happening at local museums and historic sites! Cost is $20/person, includes refreshments and presentations. Register at 508-746-0012 or [email protected].

Find more events and information for Plymouth County.
Southeastern Mass

Try the latest fitness fad and celebrate International Women's Day! On Sunday March 8, there will be a FREE Boogie Barre class at Berkley Beer Company in Taunton. Boogie Barre combines dance, barre and Variable Intensity Interval Training for a full body workout. Class starts at 10:30 am and all attendees must bring their own mat. Celebrate the strong women in your life by starting the day off with an empowering fitness class!
 
Find m ore events and information for Southeastern Massachusetts
The Berkshires

Spring has sprung in the Berkshires and time for Baby Animals at Hancock Shaker Village. Bring the whole family, April 11-May 3 (10 am to 4 pm) and meet baby lambs, piglets, calves, chicks, and kids in the Round Stone Barn. Stay for story time and art-making in the Discovery Barn, where you can milk Mary Jane the Cow, see how a loom works, and try on Shaker clothing. Dance to live music and sing-alongs. Have fun with pony rides, face painting, and balloon art, along with demos-blacksmithing, woodworking, cooking, weaving, and sheep shearing!

Find more ev
ents and information for The Berkshires
Greater Merrimack Valley

Don't miss the world premiere historical drama The Lowell Offering on March 18-April 12, and the laugh-out-loud comedy  Erma Bombeck: At Wit's End on April 22-May 17 at Merrimack Repertory Theatre in downtown Lowell. Tickets start at $24. Merrimack Repertory Theatre celebrates 41 years this season as the Merrimack Valley's professional theatre.

Find more events and information for Greater Merrimack Valley.  
Central Massachusetts

Discover fun in Central Massachusetts this March! The Original Harlem Globetrotters will have fans on the edge of their seats at the DCU Center in Worcester on March 22. Join in the fun at Worcester's annual St. Patrick's Parade on Sunday, March 15, featuring festive floats, bands, color guards, clowns and boosters of Irish heritage. And see maple sugaring as it was done in early 19th-century rural New England in Old Sturbridge Village's working sugar camp during Maple Days (pictured here), happening on weekends in March from March 1-22.

Find more events and information for Central Massachusetts.
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