More than you really want to know about Natick, Mass.
The Natick Department of Public Works welcomed one and all to an Open House and Truck Day event at the 75 West Street facility. By the 10am start time, throngs of kids, their grown-ups, and other truck enthusiasts were lined up and ready to see and touch dump trucks, excavators, front-end loaders, and more. A crafts table kept the creative juices flowing, popcorn kept the energy going, and DPW staff was on hand to answer questions and run demos of systems and equipment at the free event.
The IMAX Theater at Jordan’s Furniture in Natick is reopening on Friday, May 27 with Tom Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick. The COVID-19 pandemic shut the theater down in March of 2020.
The theatre boasts an immersive 76×55 -foot projector screen and seats about 280 guests.
In its return, the Rte. 9 west theater will be open Fridays through Sundays, plus some holidays.
Prices range from $14 (kids 12 and under) to $15 (seniors 65+) to $16 (adults).
Coming up in June is the latest Jurassic World Dominion.
Based on current regulations, Jordan’s doesn’t require masks, proof of vaccination, or a negative COVID test to attend the IMAX Theater.
Please send tips, photos, ideas to natickreport@gmail.com
There’s a lot going on this weekend around Natick, so get out there and enjoy all that’s happening in town. Just remember to fill up a water bottle, wear your sunhat, and slather on plenty of sunscreen—temperatures on Saturday and Sunday are forecasted to climb into the high 90s.
Stock up on your summer reading at The Friends of the Morse Institute book sale. There will be 1,000s of books and a selection of DVDs and CDs. At $1 per adult book and $0.50 for children’s/tween/teen books, there’s no reason not to bring a big bag and load up.
Proceed help the Friends provide library patrons with museum passes, Speed Reads, large print books, programs for all ages, and much more.
WHEN: Saturday May 21, 8:30am-4:30pm and Sunday, May, 22, noon-3:00pm
LOCATION: Morse Institute Library, 14 E. Central Street, Natick
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The Natick Farmer’s Market is back to its outdoor setting on the Common with over 30 vendors, live music, and an all-around great vibe. Please leave your pets at home per Health Department regulations.
DATE: Saturday, May 21 (and every Saturday, year-round)
TIME: 9am-1pm
LOCATION: Natick Common
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Come to the Department of Public Works Open House and Truck Day and view fire and Emergency Medical Services equipment; see dump trucks, excavators, front-end loaders and more; tour the Public Works facility; visit Natick’s Bookmobile; create mini truck models and get stickers, coloring sheets, and balloons; watch live demos of systems and equipment; check out stormwater and drones demonstrations; and munch on free popcorn. Bring non-perishable goods for donation.
This family-friendly event is free and open to the public. Questions? Contact Tom Hladick at thladick@natickma.org or Jeremy Marsette at jmarsette@natickma.org or call 508-647-6550
DATE: Saturday, May 21
TIME: 10am-1pm
LOCATION: Department of Public Works, 75 West Street
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Holi is a spring festival celebrated in the Indian subcontinent, also known as the “festival of colors” or the “festival of love.” There will be eco-friendly dry powdered color available for all, Bollywood music with a DJ, and delicious Indian food for purchase. This is a free event, with the exception of the food.
DATE: Saturday, May 21
TIME: 2pm-4pm
LOCATIONS: Middlesex Savings Bank parking lot, Route 135 and Washington Street & the Mores Institute Library lawn
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Chase the blues away with the crowd-pleasing jazz of John Birt and Dylan Harley. This dynamic duo of dueling guitars performs the gypsy jazz of Django Reinhardt, the blues of Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong, original music, and reworkings of pop/classic rock. Bring a blanket or chair and relax on the lawn on the Bacon Free Library and enjoy a musical afternoon. This program is hosted by the Eliot Church and the Bacon Free Library. Admission is by free-will donation.
DATE: Sunday, May 22
TIME: 2pm-3pm
LOCATION: Bacon Free Library, 58 Eliot Street, Natick
English singer/songwriter Graham Parker paid a visit to TCAN in Natick Center over the weekend, playing solo on his acoustic and electric guitars—as well as a harmonica and kazoo—as he treated the crowd to a mix of new and old songs.
Parker, with his band The Rumour, began releasing catchy, sometimes edgy songs, in the mid-1970s, and his style has often been lumped in with the likes of Nick Lowe and Elvis Costello. I own at least one of his CDs from back in the day, though reached for Spotify to refresh my Parker memories before the show (he half joked/half ranted about streaming services during his show, resigned to the fractions of fractions he said artists receive for their work).
Inspired by some of the different rules during the pandemic in London, including being able to hang out in public with friends and get away with stuff, Parker has cranked out new music that he dubs his “lockdown tapes.” He played both the B-side, which he described as being creepy (“3D Printer for Another You”), and the lead single, “Humans are a Mutant Virus.”
Parker didn’t perform some of his more recognizable songs (i.e., “Local Girls”) that even my younger friends know without Parker’s name ringing a bell for them. He did dust off the timely “Coathangers” in light of current Supreme Court doings.
While shaking his head about a 40th anniversary re-release, the singer we saw sure sounded like Graham Parker of old. He also slowed things down here and there for story time, including the strange backstory on a song called “I’ll Never Play Jacksonville Again.”
We attended the show for a night out, not to review it. But we’ll share some basics for those of you who haven’t been, or haven’t been in a while due to the pandemic.
TCAN offers memberships that can knock a few bucks off your ticket price, but more importantly supports the downtown entertainment venue located in a former fire house. TCAN runs a no frills movie theatre upstairs with seating for 120.
We ordered our tickets online, though as it turns out could have bought them at the door and skipped the “convenience” fee. A guy leaned against the wall outside seeking “extras,” and sure enough a patron with more tickets than he needed gave the man one.
The cozy theater seats 270 people, and Parker’s show didn’t sell out. But there was a good sized and appreciative crowd. We found the acoustics excellent, and that’s great for hearing a wordsmith like Parker who tosses off zingers in many of his songs. Importantly, the temperature was also reasonable: It was steamy outside, but TCAN didn’t chill us out.
The volunteers who get you into the theatre, serve refreshments (beer, wine, popcorn, etc.), and usher you into your comfortable seats are friendly and fantastic. Masks were encouraged, but the crowd was mixed in terms of wearing them.
In Natick’s biggest wrestling news since the high school team won the state championship last year, pro wrestling is about to hit town.
Lucky Pro Wrestling will be bringing its crew to AMVETS POST 79 in Natick on Superior Drive on Saturday, April 30 at 7:30pm (doors open an hour earlier). $15 tickets can be purchased in advance online or at the door, with discounts on packages of four.
Let the mayhem begin…
